tStOTJl 0| Il|l| 



Pi 4 ;|p j) ^ 






HISTORY 



CITY OF NEW YOEK 

ITS ORIGIN, RISE, AND PROGRESS. 

BY 

MRS. MARTHA J. LAMB. 
JllusiraitD. 



IN TWO VOLUMES. 

VOL. I. EMBRACING THE PERIOD PRIOR TO THE REVOLUTION, CLOSING IN 1774. 
VOL. II. EMBRACING THE CENTURY OF NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE, CLOSING IN 1876. 



VOL. I. 



NEW YORK AND CHICAGO : 
A. S. BARNES AND COMPANY. 

1877. 



cH^ 






Copyright, 1877, fy A. S. Barnes <S-» Co. 



P E E F A C E 



THIS work, of which the first volume is now complete in sixteen 
parts, is the outgrowth of more than a dozen years of careful 
study and persistent research. The subject is one of unusual interest, 
and notwithstanding the immense labor involved, it has attracted and 
diverted rather than wearied the author, and kept the soul stirred 
with constantly increasing enthusiasm. The outlook will speak for 
itself to every intelligent reader. A wooded island upon the border of 
a vast, unexplored, picturesque wild, three thousand miles from civili- 
zation, becomes within three centuries the seat of the arrogant metropolis 
of the Western world. The narrative embraces the condition of Europe 
which contributed to this remarkable result, the origin and birth of 
the city in which we take so much pride, its early vicissitudes, the 
various steps of progress through which it became powerful, the con- 
nection of causes and effects, the rise of churches, schools, colleges, 
charities, and other institutions, the machinery, commercial and political, 
with all its crudities, breakages, friction, and modern improvements, 
ever producing unlooked-for events, its wars and rumors of wars, its 
public characters and foreign relations, and its social thread, knotting 
and tangling, but yet running through all the years, spinning its own 
way and coiling itself into every feature of the structure, — the cable, 
indeed, to hold the multiplicity of parts together. In the language 
of a prominent leader of public opinion, " hardly did old Eome herself 
emerge from a more mysterious and fascinating crucible of legend 
and tradition." 



) _ - 



iv PREFACE. 

It would give me pleasure to mention all the sources from which I 
have obtained assistance in the preparation of these volumes, but 
they are legion, and the statement would read like a dictionary. I 
shall, however, make due acknowledgments, as far as space will permit, 
in the Preface to Volume II. The most eminent scholars of the land 
are among those who have given me counsel and encouragement. 1 
have never lost sight of the magnitude and importance of the task 
before me, New York being the central point in all American history, 
nor have I in any instance indulged fancy at the expense of historical 
exactness and symmetry. My first aim has been to reach the truth, 
in which pursuit I have spared no pains. My original purpose to 
produce a standard authority has been my latest purpose. Facts be- 
fore finding a place in my pages have been subjected to a searching 
ordeal. Occasional errors may have escaped even the closest vigilance, 
but such when discovered will be corrected. On all matters where 
difference of opinion exists I have examined both sides without preju- 
dice or partiality. I have ( also listened with deference to and profited 
by the judgments of the well-informed. But while I have left no 
stone unturned in the way of securing the broadest light and the most 
unexceptional aid, I am alone responsible for what I have written. 

If, in the treatment of a subject which combines so many sources 
of thrilling interest, and which is dear to the heart of every American 
citizen, I have given warmth and color as well as life and expression 
to realities, and found favor with the great sympathetic reading public, 
then my labor has not been in vain. 

MARTHA J. LAMB. 

New York City, June 15, 1877. 



PART 1.] 



[Price 50 ci 




NETW VORIC and CUCAGO 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Manhattan Island. — Earliest Records of America. — The Icelanders. The Fifteenth Cen 
tury. — Venetian Commerce. — Christopher Columbus. — England. — The Cabots. — The 
Portuguese. — Vasco da Gama. — The Fishermen of Brittany and Normandy. New 
foundlancL — The Spaniards. — Verrazano Estevan Gomez. — The English Again. The 
Dutch. — Belgium. — Usselincx and John of Barneveld. — The East and West India 
Companies " . . 11 — 25 

CHAPTER II. 

Henry Hudson. — His Voyages. — He discovers Manhattan Island. — His Voyage up the 
Hudson River. — His Visit to an Indian Chief. — His Tragical Fate. — American Furs. 
Settlement of Virginia. — Voyages to Manhattan. — The Fur Trade. — Burning of the 
Tiger. — Building of a Ship at Manhattan. — Description of Manhattan Island. — The 
Manhattan Indians. — Customs and Dress. — Money and Politics. — Trading Privileges 26 - 39 

CHAPTER III. 

The Hague. — John of Barneveld. — New Netherland. — New England. — The First Fort at 
Manhattan. — Political Commotion in Holland. — John of Barneveld's Execution. — Im- 
prisonment of Grotius. — The West India Company. — The Amsterdam Chamber. — The 
First Settlers of New Netherland. — Deatli of the Prince of Orange. — Deatli of James I. 
— The Marriage of Charles I. — The First Governor of New Netherland . . . 40-52 

CHAPTER IV. 

Peter Minuet. — The First Buildings. —The Horse-Mill. — The First Girl born in New 
Netherland. — Diplomatic Correspondence. — The Embassy to Plymouth. — New Neth- 
erland not a Pecuniary Success. —The Charter of Freedom and Exemptions. — The Ma- 
norial Lords. — Kiliaen Van Rensselaer. — The Van Rensselaer Manor-House. —The 
Great Ship. — Governor Minuet and Recall. — Wrangling among the Directors of the 
Company 53- f>". 

CHAPTER V. 

Wouter Van Twiller. — Captain De Vries. — Van Twiller and the English Vessel. — Captain 
De Vries and the Governor. — The First Minister. — The First Church and Parsonage. 
The First Schoolmaster. — Buildings and Improvements. — New Amsterdam. Begin- 
nings of Hartford. —Troubles with the English. — Quarrels with the Patroons. — Quar- 
rels with the English. — Fort Amsterdam. — Excess anil Irregularities. — Purchase of 
Land. — Governor Van Twiller's Recall 66 -SI 

CHAPTER VI. 

Governor William Kieft. — The Extraordinary Council. — Abuses. — Proclamations. —The 
Dominie's Wedding. — A Curious Slander Case. — The First Ferry to Long Island. — En- 
croachments of the Swedes. — A New Policy. — Captain De Vries's Arrival. — The Pioneer 
Settlers. — Oloff Stevensen Van Cortlandt. — English Ambition. — Captain De Vries's 



vi CONTENTS. 

Travels and what he Saw. — Purchase of Indian Lands. — Trouble with the Indians. — 
The New Charter of Freedom and Exemptions. — The Store-Keeper. — The Six Murder- 
ers. — Municipal Regulations. — The First Marine Telegraph in the Harbor . 82-96 

CHAPTER VII. 

Indian Vengeance. — The First Popular Assembly. — Kieft's Disappointment — Death of 
Peter Minuet. — Effort of the Twelve Men tu institute Reforms. — The Governor's Procla- 
mation. — The Dutch and English Discussion of the Boundary Question— A Flaw in the 
Title to New Netherland. — Religious Persecution. — The First Tavern. — The New Church. 

— Raising Money at a Wedding. — The First English Secretary. — The Year of Blood. — 
The Blood Atonement. — The Shrove-Tide Dinner- Party. — The Inhuman Massacre.— 
General Uprising of the Indians. — Overtures for Peace. — The Hollow Truce. — The Sec- 
ond Representative Body. — A Page of Horrors 97-115 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Confiscation of Shoes. — The Doomed Village. — Trials for Want of Money. —Action of 
the West India Company. —Kieft's Quarrels. —The War Ended. —The Great Indian 
Treaty of Peace. — Minerals. — The New School. — Adriaen Van der Donck. — Van 
Rensselaer's Death. —The New Governor. — Stuyvesaut's Reception. — Governor Stuy- 
vesant. — Mrs. Peter Stuyvesaut. — Mrs. Bayard 116-130 

CHAPTER IX. 

Political Events in Europe. — Holland and the Hollanders. — The Sabbath in New York. — 
The First Surveyors. — Kuyter and Melyn, and their Trial for Rebellion. — The Wreck 
of the Princess. — Kip. — Govert Loockermans. — First Fire- Wardens. — Schools and 
Education. — Rensselaerswick a Power. — The Governor's Failure. — Civil War in Eng- 
land. — Van Cortlandt. — Van der Donck. — Melyn. — The Quarrel. — Van der Donck 
in Holland. — Isaac Allerton 131-149 

CHAPTER X. 

The Confiscated Vessel. — Governor Stuyvesaut's Body-Guard. — Rensselaerswick. — The 
Schuyler Family. — The Navigation Act. — Rev. Samuel Drisius. — African Slavery.— 
The Birth of the City. — The First City Fathers. — Allard Anthony. — William Beek- 
man. — The Prayer of the City Fathers. —Military Preparations. —Van der Donck. — 
Hon. Nicasius De Sille. — The Diet of New Amsterdam. — Oliver Cromwell. — Peace 
between England and Holland 150-168 

CHAPTER XI. 

City Taxation. — The Swedes. — The Long Island Ferry. — Thomas Pell. —Lady Moody's 
Library. — The Gay Repast. — First City Seal. — Christmas. — New Year's. — The City 
Hall. —The First Church on Long Island. — Dominie Polhemus. — The Expedition 
against the Swedes. —The Indian Horror. — Van Tienhoven's Downfall. —The Lutheran 
Persecution. — City Progress. — Dominie Drisius. —Burgher Rights. — Unique Laws. — 
The Quaker Persecution' — Hodgson at the Wheelbarrow. — Stuyvesaut's Interview with 
the Indian Chiefs. — "Whitehall." — Stuyvesaut's Country-Seat. — Indian Hostilities. 
— Oliver Cromwell's Death 169-191 

CHAPTER XII. 

The Restoration. — Charles II. — The Connecticut Charter. — Sir George Downing. — George 
Baxter and John Scott. — Progress of the City. — The Antiquarian Map. —The Quakers. 

— Destruction of Esopus. — The Indian War of 1663. — Governor Stuyvesant in Boston. 

— Thomas Benedict. — The Embassy to Connecticut. — Startling Condition of Affairs. — 
John Scott. — Hon. Jeremias Van Rensselaer. —The Convention of 1664. — Mrs. Dr. 
Kiersted. —Planning of Charles II. and his Ministers. —An Unfriendly Expedition. — 
New Amsterdam in Danger. — Preparations for a Siege. — Wintlirop's Interview with 
Stuyvesant. — The Letter. — The Approaching Storm. — The Crisis. — The Surrender. — 
New York. — Consequences of the Conquest. — Stuyvesant at the Hague. — The Stuy- 
vesant Pear-Tree. — The Stuyvesant Family 192-217 

CHAPTER XIII. 

New York. — The Duke of York. — Governor Nicolls. — Mr. and Mrs. Johannes Van Brugh. 

— The Brodhead Family. —Albany. —The Taking of the Oath of Allegiance to Eng- 



CONTEXTS. vii 

land. — Sir Robert Can- at Delaware Bay. — An Extraordinary Complication . — Connect- 
icut Diplomacy. — The Dividing Line between Connecticut and New York. — New Jer- 
sey. -- Elizabethtown. — Johannes De Peyster. — Interesting Controversy. — Court of 
Assizes. — Nicolls a Law-Maker. — The Hempstead Convention. — " The Duke's Laws." 

— The First Race-Course on Long Island. — The First Vineyard on Long Island. — The 
First Mayor of New York. — The First Aldermen. — John Lawrence. — Nicholas Bay- 
ard. — Symptoms of War. —Secret Orders. — War Declared. — Cornelis Steenwyck. — 
The Plague in London. — The Great Fire in London. — England's Disgrace. — Clarendon's 
Fall. New York's Miseries. — Nicolls's Wisdom. — Witchcraft. — The Manors of Gar- 
diner and Shelter Islands. — Nicolls asks for his Recall 218-240 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Colonel Francis Lovelace. — Nicolls and Lovelace. — Cornelis Steenwyck's House. — The 
City Livery. — Nicholas Bayard. — Fever and Ague in New York. — The End of Com- 
mercial Intercourse with Holland. — Louis XIV. — France. — The Triple Alliance. — So- 
cial Visiting in New York in>1669. — A Prosperous Era.— The Dutch Reformed Church. 

— The Sabbath in New York Two Hundred Years Ago. — Dress of the Period.— The 

Lutheran Minister. — Witchcraft. — The First Exchange. — Rebellion on Long Island 

The Purchase of Staten Island Charles II. and Louis XIV. — The Prince of Orange. 

— Assassination of the De Witts. — War between England and Holland. — Fierce Battles 
in Europe. — The Death of Colonel Nicolls. — The First Post between New York ami 
Boston. — Lovelace in Hartford. — The Dutch Squadron in New York Bay. — Capture of 

New York by the Dutch. — New Orange 241 - 258 

CHAPTER XV. 

Admiral Evertsen. — The New Municipal Officers. — The Conquered Territory. — Taking the 
Oath. — Lovelace's Private Losses. — Governor Anthony Colve. — Rumors of War with 
New England. — Austria and Spain to the Rescue of Holland. — The Famous Test Act. 

— Mary of Modena. — The Marriage of the Duke of York. —The Sacrifice of New Neth- 
erland. — The Treaty of Westminster. — Sir Edmund Andros. — Lieutenant-Governor 
Anthony Brockholls. — New Jersey. — Long Island. — Governor Colve's Farewell. — The 
Reception of Governor Aridros. — Dominie Van Rensselaer. — Frederick Philipse. — 
Captain Manning. — Stringent Measures. — Imprisonment of Leading Citizens. —Indian 
War in New England. — Robert Livingston. — Andros and the Connecticut Delegates. — 
City Improvements. — Tanneries along Maiden Lane. — Stephanus Van Cortlaudt. — The 
Celebrated Bolting Act. — Indian and Negro Slaves 259-279 

CHAPTER XVI. 

European Affairs. — Prince of Orange in London. — Marriage of William and Mary. — Peace 
between Holland and France. — J acob Leisler. — The Climate of New York. — The Min- 
ister's Supper. — Conversation in Latin. — Ecclesiastical Troubles. — Hunting Bears be- 
tween Cedar Street and Maiden Lane. — The two Labadists. — Jean Vigne. — The Trav- 
elers on Long Island. — Sleeping in a Barn. — The First Classis in America. — Movement 
to build a New Church. — The Uneasy Indians. — New Jersey. — Arrest and Trial of 
Governor Carteret. — East and West New Jersey. — Faulty Deeds. — Imperiousness of 
Andros. — William Penn's Sophistry. — Opinion of Sir William Jones. — Complaints 
against Andros. — Founding of Pennsylvania. — Recall of Andros. — Clamor for an As- 
sembly. — Lieutenant-Governor Brockholls. — Almost a Colonial Revolution. — Long 
Island. — Insubordination. — An Assembly Granted. — Thomas Dongan. — The Trium- 
phal March 280-299 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Governor Thomas Dongan. — Mayor William Beekman. — William Penn in New York. 

— The First New York Assembly. — Laws enacted by the Assembly. — The New York 
Courts. — The Acts of the Assembly. — New York Contented and Prosperous. — Dominie 
Selyns's Parsonage. — The Iroquois a Wall of Defense. — A Bmsh with Connecticut. — 
Plot to assassinate Charles II. and the Duke of York. — Confusion in England. — Argu- 
ments in the Privy Council. — Arbitrary Measures. —The City Charter. — The Sabbath 
Question in 1684. — Hotels and their Guests. - Funeral Customs. — Powder Magazine. 

— Lord Effingham in New York. — The Great Indian Conference. — The Auspicious 
New Year.— The Sudden Revulsion. — The Death of Charles II.— Scenes and Inci- 
dents. — James II. proclaimed King of England. — The New King's Promises. —The 
Gradual Grasp of Power. — Inconsistencies of James II. —Effect upon New York. — 
Juries in 1685. — Mason and Dixon's Line. — William Penn's Influence at Court. —The 
Dongan Charter. — New City Seal. — The Albany Charter. — The Livingston Manor. — 
Philip Livingston 300-320 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Catholicism in New York. — Absurd Alarms. — Persecution in France. — The Assembly 
abolished in New York. — Sir Edmund Andres in Boston. — Connecticut and her Two 
Wooers. — Connecticut loses her Charter. —The Post-Route. — Governor Dongan a 
statesman. —Albany in Danger. —The English, French, and Iroquois. — Consolidation 
of the Colonies. — New York swallowed by New England. — Sir Edmund Andres. — The 
Exiled Huguenots. — Extraordinary Acts of James II. — The Seven Bishops. — Birth of 
the Prince of Wales. — Mary, Princess of Orange. —The Character of William III. — 
The Political Marriage. — A Domestic Romance. — William's Purposes. — William's 
Expedition to England. — Revolution in England. — The King's Despair. — Abdication 
of the Throne by James II. — William's Reception in London. — William and Mary 
crowned Sovereigns of England 321 - 33G 

CHAPTER XIX. 

The Revolution. — Sir William Phipps. — Rev. Dr. Increase Mather. — The Bill and its 
Fate. — The News in New York. — The News in Boston. — Revolution in Boston. — 
Revolution throughout New England. — New York Alarmed. — The Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor and his Council. — The Public Money. — Anxiety and Precautionary Measures. — 
The Militia of New York. — Jacob Leisler. — The Cargo of Wine. — The Cloud on Long 
Island. — Wild Rumors. — Plot to destroy New York. — Lieutenant Henry Cuyler. — 
Revolution in New York. — Confusion. — Leisler's Declaration. — The Black Saturday. 
Events of Monday. — The False Alarm and its Results. — The Disabled Government. 
- Philip French. — Leisler's Correspondence. — Nicholson sails for England. — Leisler's 
Infatuation. — Captains De Peyster and Stuyvesant. — Proclamation of William and 
Mary. — Drinking the New King's Health. — Riotous Conduct. — The Fight at the Cus- 
tom-House. — Colonel Bayard's Escape. — Leisler's Convention. — The " Committee of 
Safety." — The Mayor's Court. 337 -3oS 

CHAPTER XX. 

New York under Leisler. — The Elections of 1689. —Mrs. Van Cortlandt's Courage. — Leis- 
ler's Executive Ability. — Albany in Peril. — Independence of Albany. — Mayor Peter 
Schuyler. — Milborne's Defeat. — Connecticut to the Rescue. — Colonel Nicholas Bay- 
ard. — Captain Lodwyck in Disgrace. — Captain De Peyster in Disgrace. — The Rough 
Search for Colonel Bayard. — William III. of England. — The Tangle in New York. — 
The King's Letter to Nicholson. — New York threatened by the French. — Leisler's 
Agent at Whitehall. — Matthew Clarkson. — The King's Letter seized by Leisler. — Leis- 
ler's Assumption. — An Outburst of Rage. — Philip French in a Dungeon. — The Jails 
and Prisons filled. — Arrest of Colonel Bayard. — Arrest of William Nicolls. — Pursuit 
of Robert Livingston. — The French on the War-Path. — Burning of Schenectady. — 
Shocking Massacre. — Albany Appalled. — Albany submits to Leisler. — The First Colo- 
nial Congress in America. — Leisler's Vigor. — Wholesale Complaints. — Connecticut's 
Rebuke. — Despotic Laws. — New Rochelle. — Wedding of Leisler's Daughter. — Ad- 
vice from Boston. — The Government of New York as ordained by William III. — Ar- 
rival of Lieutenant-Governor Ingoldsby. — The City in Tumult. — Leisler Aggressive. — 
Bloodshed in New York. — Governor Sloughter's Arrival. — Leisler Imprisoned. — The 
Sunday Sermon. — The Trial of Leisler and his Council. — Leisler and Milborne under 
Sentence of Death. —The Assembly of 1691. — Dr. Gerardus Beekman. — Sloughter's 
Character. — Signing of the Death-Warrant. — The Execution of Leisler and Milbome. — 
Impressive Scenes. — Effects of Leisler's Death. — The French and Indian War. — Death 
of Sloughter. —Ingoldsby Commander-in-Chief. — Etienne De Lancey. . . . 359-397 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Abraham De Peyster. — Effects of the Revolution. —The two Hostile Factions. — The Gar- 
den Street Church. — Origin of Water Street. — Public Paupers. — City Legislation. — 
Condition of the Province. — The Corporation Dinner. —Governor Fletcher. — Fletcher 
studying the Indians. — The Gift of a Gold Cup. —Fletcher's Difficulties. — Boston 
meddling. — Caleb Heathcote. — A Curious Romance. — The Assembly Stiff-necked. — 
Fletcher in Temper. — The First Printing in New York. — Sir William Phipps. — Official 
Stealing. — Livingston in England. — Young Leisler at William's Court. Wrangling in 
the Assembly. —Accusations and Counter- Accusations. — Fletcher's Speech. —Shock- 
ing Brutalities. — Fletcher's Character on Trial. — Livingston criticised by Fletcher.— 
De Peyster's New House. — De Peyster's Descendants. — Miller's Description of New 
York. — Dominie Selyns's Piracy. — Mrs. Fletcher and her Daughters. — Captain Kidd. 
-The Expedition against Piracy. — Kidd the Prince of Pirates. — The Repeal of 
Bolting and Baking Acts. — First Opening of Nassau Street. --The First Lighting 



CONTEXTS. ix 

of the City. — The First Night-Watch. — The Earl of Bellomont. — Bellomont's Re- 
forms. — Bellomont's Collision with the Merchants. — The Acts of Trade. — The Peace 
of Ryswick. — The Lauded Estates Attacked. — James Graham. — Dominie Dellius. — 
Bellomont's Mortifications. — The Dutch Church. — Bellomont in Boston. — The Board 
of Trade. — Deaths of Graham, Van Cortlandt, and Bellomout . . . . ' . 3y8-447 

CHAPTER XXII. 

i 'olonel William Smith. — Conflict in the Council. — Lieutenant-Governor Nanfan. — Illegal 
Voting. — Robert Livingston in Disgrace. — Mrs. Gertrude Van Cortlandt. — The City 
Elections. — Extraordinary Confusion. — Mayor Noell. — Chief Justice Atwood. — 
Manor-Honse of Caleb Heathcote. — Trial of Nicholas Bayard for Treason. — Death of 
William III. — Lord Cornbury. — Bayard's Sentence Reversed. — The Yellow Fever. — 
The Church Quarrel. — Lady Bellomont. — The Leisler Bill. — Death of Frederick Phil- 
ipse. — Philipse Manor. — "Philipse Will. — The French Church. — Trinity Church. — 
Queen Anne. — Excitements. — The Treasurer of the Province. — Death of Lady Corn- 
bury. — Lord Cornbury and the two Presbyterian Ministers. — The Assembly of 1708. — 
Spirited Resolutions. — Lord Lovelace. — First Paper Money in New York. — Five In- 
dian Chiefs at Queen Anne's Court. — The Silver Vase presented to Schuyler by Queen 
Anue 448-480 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Governor Robert Hunter. — Hunter's Life and Character. — Hunter's Correspondence with 
Swift. — Hunter's Counselors. — John Barbarie. — Rip Van Dam. — The Germans. 
Livingston Manor. — Hunter's Country-Seat. — " Androborus." — The City Finances. 
Negro Slaves. — Lobsters. — Origin of the Debt of England. — Prophecies. — The Cana- 
dian Campaign. — The Disappointment. — The Negro Insurrection. — City Improvements. 
The Assembly. — Death of Queen Anne. — George I. — Chief Justice Lewis Morris. — 
Robert Watts. — The New York Families. — James Alexander. — First Presbyterian 
Church. — Wall Street. — Potatoes. — Hunter's Farewell Address. — Peter Schuyler in 
Command of New York 481-510 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Governor William Burnet. — Social Events. — Burnet's Marriage. — Dr. Cadwallader Col- 
den. — Robert Livingston Speaker of the Assembly. — J ohn Watson the First Portrait- 
Painter. — Robert Walters. — Burnet's Indian Poliey. — Rev. Jonathan Edwards. — 
Burnet's Council. — Young Men going West. — Burnet's Theology. — The French Prot- 
estants. — Stephen De Lancey. — William Bradford. — The First Newspaper in New 

York. — The Silver-toned Bell. — Burnet and the Indian Chiefs. — Death of George I 

Burnet's Departure for Boston. — The New Powder Magazine. — Governor John Mont- 
gomery. — Conference with the Indians at Albany. — James DeLancey. — The First Li- 
brary in New York. — The Jews' Burial-Place. — The City Charter. — First Fire-Engine 
in New York. — First Engine-House. — Rip Van Dam President of Council and Acting 
Governor of New York . 511 -53P 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Governor Cosby. — Rip Van Dam. — Exciting Lawsuit. — Opinion of Chief Justice Mor- 
ris. — The Council. — The Judges. — The Removal of Chief Justice Morris. — James De 
Lancey appointed Chief Justice. — Courtesy to Foreign Visitors. — Lord Fitzroy. — A 
Little Romance. — Marriage of George Cosby. — Taxes. — Fashions. — Morris at the 
Court of England. — William Bradford. — The New Newspaper in New York. — John 
Peter Zenger. — Arrest and Imprisonment of Zenger. — The Famous Trial. — Chief Justice 
DeLancey. — Andrew Hamilton. — Definition of Libel. — Chambers Address. — Hamilton 
Arguments. — Acquittal of Zenger. — Exciting Scenes. — Paul Richards. — The City 
Watch. — Cortlandt Street. — The Poor-House. — Rip Van Dam. — Cosby 's Sickness and 
Death. — Contest between Rip Van Dam and George Clarke. — George Clarke Lieutenant- 
Governor of New York. — Mrs. Clarke. — Lewis Morris Governor of New Jersey. - 
Social Life in New York. — The Election of 1737 .' 540-570 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

City Improvements The First Quarantine. —Trinity Church. — Adolphe Philipse. — The 

Disfranchisement of the Jews — Political Throes. —Judge Lewis Morris. — John Cru- 
ger. — Daniel Horsemanden. — Political Parties. — The New Market-Mouse in Broadway. 
— The De Lancey Mansion. — Death of Mr. Clarke. — The Negro Plot. — Burning of the 
Governor's House in the Fort. — Mary Burton. — Wholesale Alarm. — The Common 



x CONTENTS. 

Council. — Burning at the Stake. — Hanging. — Transportation of Convicts. — Day of 
Public Thanksgiving. — The Yellow Fever in New York. — Dr. Colden's Medical Treatise. 

— Governor George Clinton. — The Warren Family. — Mansion of Admiral Sir Peter 
Warren. — Sir William Johnson. — The Indians. — The French. — The Conquest of 
Louisburg. — Sir William Pepperell. — Admiral Sir Peter Warren. ... . 571-596 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

Philip Livingston. — Philip Livingston's Sons. — William Livingston. —Philip Livingston's 
Daughters. — Philip Livingston's Death. — John Rutherford. — The Indian Conference 
of October, 1745. — Frederick Philipse. — The Philipse Family. — Philipse Manor.— 
Mary Philipse. — Clinton and the Assembly. — Preparations for the Canadian Campaign. 

— Indian Conference of 1746. — Horrors of War. — Chief Justice De Lancey. — Dr. Col- 
den. — Violent Contests. — New York under Discipline. — A Glimpse of New York in 
1752. — The Odd Wedding. — Rev. Aaron Burr. — Sir Danvers Osborne. — Statesman- 
ship of Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey. — The Albany Congress. — King's College. — 
William Livingston. — The Great Feud. — New York Society Library. — Governor Sir 
Charles Hardy. — The French War. — General Braddock. — Washington. — War. — 
Acadia. — Hon. John Watts. — The Watts Estate. — The Watte Mansion. — Archibald 
Kennedy. — No. 1 Broadway 597 - 656 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Letter of James Alexander. — Shirley in Boston. — Victory of the People of New York. — 
Declaration of War. — The Earl of Loudoun. — Mayor John Crager. — New York Op- 
pressed. — Boundary Jangles. — Riots at Livingston Manor. — Governor Hardy resigns. 

— Benjamin Franklin. — The Immortal Kite. — The Postal Routes of America. — Loss 
of Fort Wdliam Henry. — Loudoun and his Cabbages. — Recall of Loudoun. — Changes 
in the English Ministry. — Capture of Fort Du Quesne. — Defeat and Recall of Abercrom- 
bie. — General Wolfe. — Capture of Quebec. — General Amherst. — William Walton. — 
The Walton House. — Death of Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey. — Dr. Cadwallader Col- 
den Lieutenant-Governor of New York. — Governor Monckton. — Death of George II. — 
George III. — The Earl of Bute. — Resignation of Pitt. — Sandy Hook Lighthouse. — 
Sir James Jay. — The Jav Family. — John Jay in College. — Conquest of Havana. — 
Treaty of Peace. — England in Triumph 657-698 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

Opinions of French Statesmen. — Boundary Disputes. — Hon. James Duane. — Indians on 
tin- War-Path. — English Language in "the Dutch Church. — The Middle Dutch Church. 

— The German Reformed Church. — The New Jersey Lawyers. — Lord Grenville. — 
Stamped Paper. — New York Impatient of Control. — First Committee of Correspondence. 

— Lieutenant-Governor Colden. — Right of Appeals. — Bane Speech. — Passage of the 
Stamp Act. — Sons of Liberty. — Rev. Stephen Johnson. — Resignation of Stamp Offi- 
cers. — The Stamp Act Congress. — Arrival of Stamps. — The Non-Importation Agree- 
ment. — Stamp Act Riot. — Victory of the People. — Sir Henry Moore. — Debates in 
Parliament. — Repeal of the Stamp Act. — New York denounced as Rebellious. — New 
York Disfranchised. — Boston in Trouble. — The Founding of the Chamber of Commerce. 

— Repeals. — Tax continued on Tea. — Death of Sir Henry Moore. — Emissions of Bills 

of Credit. — Violent Excitement 699-747 

CHAPTER XXX. 

Condition of New York in 1770 Divisions among the People. — The Livingston and De 

Lancey Families. — Religious and State Matters. — The Churches of New York in 1770. 

— The Pastors. — Resentment of Boston when New York resumed Commercial Inter- 
course with England. — Reply of the New York Merchants. — Two Years' Tranquility. 

— The Earl of Dunmore. — Sir William Tryon. — The Court End of the Town. — Brief 
Allusion to the Location of the Dwellings of some of the Leading Families of the City. — 
A Glimpse of the Sugar-Houses. — Distress of the East India Companv. — Act of Parlia- 
ment to force the Colonies to buy Tea. — The Boston Tea Party. — The New York Tea 
Meeting. — New York sending back the Tea Vessels. — The Boston Port Bill. — Sympa- 
thy of the Colonies. — The Committee of Fifty-One. — New York proposes a Continental 
Congress. — Various Exciting Events. — The Delegates to the Continental Congress. — 
Action of the Continental Congress of 1774. — The New York Committee of Observation. 

— Provision for the Immortal Congress which declared the Independence of America 748-768 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



FULL-PAGE ENGRAVINGS. 

Manhattan Island in Primitive Solitude 

De Vries expressing an Opinion 

Council Scene 

Surrender of New York 

The First Horse-Race in New York 

The Duke of York and William Penn 

Dongan and the Quaker Agents 

Revolutionary Scenes (16S9) 

Fletcher and the Pirate 

Schuyler at the Court of Queen Anne 

Burnet and the Indian Sachems ... ... 

The Zenger Trial ... 

Sir William Johnson's Dream 

De Lancey and Livingston 

Founding of Chamber of Commerce 

The Great Tea Meeting (1773) 



Page 







.. 70 






.. 170 






.. 213 






.. 229 






.. 298 






.. 302 






.. 350 






.. 423 






.. 479 






.. 517 






.. 522 






.. 588 






.. 644 






.. 740 






.. 763 



ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT. 



Page 

1. Group of Ladies showing Fashions of the 

Day 13 

2. Group of Gentlemen showing Fashions 

of theDay 19 

3. East India Company's House 22 

4. Portrait of John of Barneveld 25 

5. Hudson's Ship 28 

6. Burningofthe Tiger 34 

7. View of the Vyverberg at the Hague... 39 

8. West India Company's House 47 

'.i. Flag of West India Company 48 

10. Landing of the Walloons at Albany 52 

11. The First Warehouse 55 

12. Dutch Windmills 59 

13. Van Rensselaer Manor-House in 1874... 62 

14. Purchase of Manhattan Island 65 

15. Autograph of Wonter Van Twiller 66 

16. Portrait of De Vries 68 

17. First View of New Amsterdam 77 



Page 

18. Trading with the Indians SI 

19. Autograph of Everdus Bogardus 85 

20. First Ferry to Long Island 87 

21. VanCortlan.lt Manor-House 90 

22. First Marine Telegraph 96 

23. Dutch Architecture in New Amsterdam 98 

24. StadtHuys 106 

25. Inside of Fort, with Governor's House 

and Church 107 

26. Group showing Holland Fashions 117 

27. Autograph of Stayvesant 126 

28. Portrait of Peter Stuyvesant 127 

29. Stuyvesant's Seal 130 

30. Interior of Stadt Huys, Amsterdam 133 

31. Kip'sArms 137 

32. Van Rensselaer Arms on Window 140 

33. VanCortlandt Arms 143 

34. Seal of New Netherlands, 1623 149 

35. Schuyler Arms on Window 153 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page 

Schuyler Mansion at the Flats 154 

Kip's Mansion 159 

Autograph of Nicasius de Sille 166 

De Sille's House 167 

First Seal of New Amsterdam 173 

View of New York, 1656 ISO 

Medal of Oliver Cromwell 191 

Portrait of Hon. Jeremias Van Rensse- 
laer 205 

Autograph of Hon. Jeremias Van Rens- 
selaer 206 

Stuyvesant's Pear-Tree 215 

Stuyvesant's Tomb 216 

"Petersheld" and "The Bowery 

House" 217 

Autograph of Johannes De Peyster 225 

Silverware of the De Peysters 225 

Portrait of Steenwyck 234 

Autograph of Steenwyck 234 

Steenwyck's House 243 

Portrait of Steendam 247 

Gold Chatelaine of Mrs. Leisler 251 

Portrait of Evertsen 259 

Portrait of Andros 267 

Philipse Coat of Arms 270 

Livingston Coat of Arms 275 

The Minister's Supper 279 

View of the Water Gate (Wall Street) 287 

View of North Dock 288 

View of New York from the North 289 

View of East River Shore above Water 

Gate 295 

Beekman House, Rhineluck 301 

Dutch Church, Sleepy Hollow 305 

Clermont, Lower Manor-House 319 

Livingston Manor-House in 1876 320 

Governor Dongan's House 326 

The First French Church in New York 329 

Portrait of William III 331 

Second Seal of City of New York 336 

Autograph of Jacob Leisler 345 

Leisler's House in the Strand 349 

Portrait of Hon. Peter Schuyler 357 

Portrait of Dr. Gerardus Beekman 360 

Autograph of Nicholas Bayard 365 

Beekman Arms 386 

Portrait of Livingston 395 

Portrait of Col. Abraham De Peyster... 399 

Portrait of Mrs. De Peyster 401 

Garden Street Dutch Church, built in 

1698 407 

De Peyster Arms 420 

Portrait of Rev. Will Vesey 437 



Tage 

City Hall, Wall Street 443 

View of New York in 1704 455 

Portrait of Lord Corubury 460 

Philipse Manor-House 466 

Castle Philipse, Tarry town 467 

The Schuyler Vase 480 

Autograph of Lewis Morris 487 

The Beekman Coach 496 

Portrait of Chief Justice Lewis Morris 499 

Morris Arms 510 

Portrait of Governor Burnet 512 

Portrait of Mrs. Burnet 513 

Presbyterian Church, Wall Street 518 

The Silver-Toned Bell 524 

Portrait of Caleb Heathcote 531 

Lewis Morris House, Morrisania 539 

Seal and Autograph of De Lancey 543 

Portrait of Rip Van Dam 546 

Portrait of Mrs. Van Dam 547 

Portrait of Andrew Hamilton 551 

First City Poor-House 559 

The Beekman House 569 

The Gardiner Arms 570 

Trinity Church, 1737 572 

Plan of Fort George 579 

Sir Peter Warren's House 588 

Portrait of Mary Philipse 600 

Roger Morris Mansion 605 

The De Peyster Mansion 628 

St. George's Chapel, 1752 632 

The Royal Exchange 934 

King's College 646 

Kennedy Mansion No. 1 Broadway.... 665 

Fraunces Tavern 657 

Mayor John Cruger 662 

Colonel Peter Schuyler 672 

The Assault on Quebec 681 

Walton House in 1760 684 

Sandy Hook Lighthouse 695 

Van Cortlandt Mansion, Kingsbridge- 697 

Middle Dutch Church 704 

Portrait of Cadawallader Colden 712 

Facsimile of Placard 724 

Specimen of Stamps 726 

Residence of Hon. John Watts, No. 3 

Broadway 732 

St. Paul's Chapel 742 

Specimen of Bills 745 

North Dutch Church 750 

Seal and Autograph of Governor 

Tryon 756 

Interior of the great Historic Room in 

Fraunces Tavern 759 



ARTISTS AND ENGRAVERS. 



MAPS. 

1. Map of Anetje Jans's Farm ... 

!!. Map of Stuyvesant's Bouwery 

3. Miller's Map of New York in 1664 

4. Map of French, English, Dutch, Swedish, and Spanish Possessions or Claims 

5. Map of New York in 1695 

6. Map of "De Peyster Garden," Wall Street, in 1718 

7. Lyne's Map of New York in 1728 ... ... ... ... 

8. Map of De Lancey Estate before the Revolution 

9. Map of New York in 1768 





Page 




.. 79 




. 188 




196 


in 1665 


218 




. 421 




505 




.. 534 




.. 617 




.. 75 r 



ARTISTS. 

J. D. Woodward, Alfred Fredericks, Sol Eytince, George E. White, C. S. Rkinhart, 
Thomas Beach, Abram Hosier, Samuel Wallin. 



ENGRAVERS. 

John Karst, J. M. Richardson, Jos. Harley, Horace Baker, E. Clement, John P. Davis 
A. Bobbitt, Bookhout, Spear, Winham, Arnold. 





8 'S 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. 



EARLY DISCOVERIES. 

Manhattan Island. — Earliest Records of America. — Tin: Icelanders. —The Fif- 
teenth Century. — Venetian Cimmitu'E. — Christopher Columbus. — England. — 
The Cabots. — The Portuguese. — Vasco da Gam a. — The Fishermen of Brittani 
and Normandy. — Newfoundland. — The Spaniards. — Verrazano. — Estevan 
Gomez. — The English again. — The Dutch. — Belgium. — Dsselincx and johm 
of Barneveld. — The East and West India Companies. 



TWO hundred ami sixty-five years ago the site of the city of New 
York was a rocky, wooded, canoe-shaped, tMrteen-mile-long island, 

hounded by two salt rivers and a bay, and peopled by dusky skin-clad 
savages. A half-dozen portable wigwam villages, some patches of to- 
bacco and corn, and a few bark canoes drawn up on the shore, gave 
little promise of our present four hundred and fifty miles of streets, vast 
property interests, and the encircling forest of shipping. What have been 
the successive steps of the extraordinary transformation ? 

If the lineage, education, experiences, and character of a distinguished 
personage are replete with interest and instruction, of how much greater 
moment is the history of a city, which is biography in its most absolute 
sense? New York needs no introduction to the reader. Tt occupies an 
individual position among the great cities of the world. It is unlike 
any of its contemporaries. Its population is a singular intermixture of 
elements from all nations. Its institutions are the outgrowth of older 
civilizations ; its wisdom and public opinion largely the reflection of a 
previous intelligence. All the ideas, principles, feelings, and traditions 
which ever made their appearance have heir found a common field in 
which to struggle for existence, ami the result, in so tar as it is devel- 
oped, has naturally been" the survival of the fittest." It would not be 
fair, however, to demand full fruits from so young a tree. New York 



12 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

is ii city in the vigor of its youth, its final growth yet to be attained; 
thus its history the more especially deserves careful and elaborate treat- 
ment. If we would correctly estimate the men who laid its foundation- 
stones, we must enter into the spirit of the age in which they lived, 
and become to a certain degree familiar with the world's progress at 
that period. If we would appreciate their proceedings, we must learn 
somewhat of national characteristics and the practical operation of gov- 
ernment and laws, in the various countries which they represented. The 
reader, therefore, is invited first to a brief ancestral discpiisition, care 
being taken to make plain the causes which led to the discoveiy and 
settlement of Manhattan Island. 

The earliest record of the existence of the American Continent is found 
among the literary legacies of the Icelanders of the tenth centuiy, who 
were superior to the continental people of that age both in mental vigor 
and physical endurance. But their discoveries were the result of hap- 
hazard adventure rather than scientific probabilities, and their efforts at 
colonization were signal failures. From their geographical works we find 
that they supposed these western lands to be a part of Europe ; and, 
while the accounts of their expeditions were carefully preserved, not a 
line was committed to parchment until many centuries had passed, so 
that there is very little reason for presuming that succeeding generations 
were materially benefited by reason of them. 

Christopher Columbus appeared upon the stage of action just 
as the world was waking from the long sleep of the Middle Ages. 
Marco Polo had made his famous journey across the whole longitude of 
Asia, and the manuscript account of his travels, dictated to a fellow-pris- 
oner in a Genoese prison, was beginning to attract attention to the vast 
and feil ile countries he described, — the cities running over with diamonds, 
emeralds, rallies, and sapphires, the palaces with floors and roofs of solid 
gold, and the rivers hot enough to boil eggs. 

The new epoch in the art of printing was also scattering information of 
various kinds. The bonks of the ancients were reproduced, and those who 
could afford to read — for it was a luxury confined entirely to the upper 
and wealthy classes — discovered that geometrical principles had been ap- 
plied to the construction of maps by Ptolemy in the second century, and 
that the places of the earth had been planned out and described according 
to their several latitudes and longitudes. Some geographical knowl- 
edge was interwoven with a vast amount of absurd fiction and very little 
ascertained fact, but the desire for more light became so great that those 
si i me curious old maps were exhumed and copied and circulated. They 
must have been appalling to the pioneers of maritime discovery, for they 



VENICE. — COLUMBUS. 



13 



bristled from one end to the other with horrid forms and figures, and rep- 
resented the Occident as the home of demons. A mighty impulse had 
already been given to navigation by means of the magnetic needle, ami the 
newly minted ancient stories about Carthaginian sailors who had " voy- 
aged through I lie Pillars of Hercules, and found a strange country sup- 
posed to lie Asia," ami of adventurous Greeks and Persians, who had 
coasted Africa, filled the very air with speculative romance. 

India beyond the Ganges was the mythical land of promise. Us treas- 
ures came from hand to hand through caravans and middle men and 
agents to Constantinople, with which city the Italian States were in con- 
stant commercial communication. But some of the shrewdest of the 
Venetian and Genoese merchants thought to remedy the evils of the pain- 
fully long and perilous overland route, and projected enterprises by way 
of the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean and Red Seas. They suc- 
ceeded, hut were obliged to pay a heavy tribute in Egypt, and no Chris- 
tian was at any time allowed to pass through tin* Egyptian or Moham- 
medan countries. Thus the producer ami the consumer were effectually 
kept asunder 




Group of ladies, showing fashions of the day. 

Constantinople fell in 14.">.">, and from that time the business monopoly 
of the Indies centred with the Venetians. Venice became the greal 
Western emporium, and attained such marvellous riches and rose to such a 
height of power anil grandeur as never were equalled either before or since 
The costliness of her magnificent buildings, the elegance of furniture and 
decorations, and the style of life among her citizens, was quite beyond de- 
scription. The learned Christians of Constantinople, who had tied before 
the Turks into Italy, became her schoolmasters, and mathematics, astron- 



14 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

oniy, and the art of navigation developed with singular rapidity. People 
began to talk about a new channel of communication with the Oriental 
countries, where they could change even the bark of trees into money. 

Columbus had for his birthright the intellectual restlessness of the age. 
A^ a boy, his brain was tilled with unformed projects and scientific 
uncertainties. The new theories as well as the new learning took root 
within his mind and grew with his growth. He read what Aristotle 
had written about the small space of sea between Spain and the eastern 
oasl of India. He speculated over what Seneca had said about the ease 
with which that sea might be passed in a few days by the aid of favor- 
able winds. He pondered again and again the hypothetical doctrine that 
tlie earth was a sphere. He became a sailor, and applied his energies to 
the study of nautical science. 

Meanwhile years rolled on. Islands in the Atlantic were discovered, 
and the coast of Europe, from Iceland to the Cape Verde Islands, was 
becoming known. Columbus had made several important voyages him- 
self. On one occasion he visited Iceland, which was now a dependent 
ami neglected province of Denmark, and stayed some time in the country 
and conversed with the inhabitants. "Whether he obtained any knowl- 
edge of the early adventures of the Northmen it is impossible to deter- 
mine. But after his return his fancies seem to have taken more definite 
shape. The question finally settled itself to his satisfaction that the glit- 
tering gold regions could lie reached by sailing due west; and then he 
ived one of the boldest designs in human history, and pursued it 
to its accomplishment with the firm resolve of a lofty genius. It was 
from want of a correct estimate of longitude that, like every one else 
from Ptolemy down, he was so vastly deceived as to the size of the 
globe. He was a clever politician, and danced attendance before in- 
credulous kings and supercilious courtiers until time whitened his locks, 
so pronounced were his convictions, and so enthusiastic was he in the 
success of his enterprise, could he but get funds to put it in execution 
But alas! he could not convince one man that it was possible to sail 
west and reach east. It remained for him to find in a woman's mind 
the capacity to appreciate and the liberality to patronize him; and at 
last he launched forth over unknown seas, trusting to his own stout heart 
and a mariner's compass, and. reaching an unknown land, planted the 
chief milestone in the advance of civilization. He aimed for Zipango, 
and to his dying day believed he had found it, or its outlying isles, very 
nearly where his calculations had placed it. Never was man's mistake 
more prolific in great results. 

Europe was stunned with admiration, and the Pope of Pome, who up 



THE CABOTS. 15 

to that time regarded himself as the legal proprietor of all the real estate 
in Christendom, issued a bull, 1 the material parts of which are still ex- 
taut, granting the new territory to Spain. 

It is interesting to note how all the great plans and projects of the 
period tended and verged to one point. There was a Venetian mi 
living in Bristol, England, wlio had paid particular attention to science, 
and who had long housed in his heart a scheme of going to Cathay by 
the north. It was John Cabot. He was incited to active effort by the 
prospect of obtaining spices and other valuable articles of trade inde- 
pendent «if haughty Venice. His son Sebastian, then a promising youth 
about nineteen years of age, 2 was, like his sire, stimulated by the tame of 
Columbus, and anxious to attempt some notable thing. He was a scholar, 
had been thoroughly drilled in mathematics, astronomy, and the art of 
navigation, and accompanied the elder Cabol to the Court of Henry VII., 
in order to obtain the royal consent to their proposed researches. Henry 

is well known to have been ot f the most penurious monarchs who ever 

sat upon a throne. He listened graciously, and, upon condition that the 
whole enterprise should be conducted at their own private expense, issued 
a patent guaranteeing protection and privileges. But he cunningly re- 
served to himself one tilth of the profits. 3 

The (,'aliots first steered directly for [celand, where they stopped 

1497. 

for a few days. For some years a steady and profitable commerce 
had Keen carried on between Bristol ami that country. Iceland, al- 
though the heroic age of the Northmen had long since passed, was pretty 
well peopled, and its inhabitants had many wants which their northern 
land was unable to supply. The English sold them cloth, corn, wheat, 
wines, etc., and took fish, chiefly cod. in exchange. Some of the Norwegian 
authors say that in April, 1419, a heavy snow-storm destroyed more than 

i VaUel's Lais of Nations, Book 1. Chap. 18. 

- Humboldt, Kriisclu Vhtersuehungen, Vol. II. p. 445. 

3 It is a mooted question whether John < labot, the lit her, was the leader of the expedition 
in 1497. Sebastian Cabot lived for more than sixty years afterwards, and beeam< < cell 
l'];it.'.] ).iTsoriafit- : his fame so far eclipsed thai of his father as to cause much to b 
ited to him that his father actually performed. But his extreme youth and im 
at that time would hardly induce the belief that the shrewd Henry VII. would 
liiin with such an important command. The Venetian ambassador's letters of 1497, 
preserved in the Sforza archives of Milan, furnish direct evidence in favor of the father. 
(Pasqualigo's Letter, August 23, \V.<7.) M. d'Avezac, an able French writer, lias found what 
he esteems sufficient proof to establish the fact that the ' abots' first voyage was inadi in 
I4'J4, when they only saw land ; the second in 1497, when thej aavigated three hundred 
leagues along the coast : the third in 1498, by Sebastian alone ; and the fourth in 1">17. 

if. cCAveza, to Leonard W is, dated Paris, Deeembei 15, 1868, in Doe. Hist. M> 

by Willis. But the evidence of any voyage in 14m is so slight that all allusion to it is 
omitted in the body of this work. 



Hi HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

twenty-five English vessels on the coast of Iceland, which gives us an 
idea of how brisk their commerce must have been. From this point the 
Cabots proceeded westward, toiling through mountains of ice, but confi- 
dent of final success. On the 24th of June thev saw laud which 

June 24. J 

they supposed to be an island, but, finding it ran a long distance 
towards the north, and getting short of provision and into trouble with 
their crew, they turned back to England. Cabot says in his journal that 
it was a great disappointment to them. They were absent from England 
only about three months, and had discovered a continent, but its bleak, 
uninviting coasts loomed up only as a hateful barrier in the way of the 
diamond fields beyond. 

The Portuguese were at this time the most enlightened nation of 
Europe. They had very materially enlarged the scope of geo- 
graphical knowledge by daring voyages along the coast of Africa, under 
the direction of Prince Henry, third son of John the < rreat. Their vessels 
were small but well-built, and their seamen dashed safely along tempestu- 
ous shores and explored inlets and rivers. Don Emanuel the Fortunate 
made prodigious efforts to extend the commerce and dominion of Portugal, 
and his pet problem was a passage to India around Africa, The exploit 
was actually performed in L498 by Vasco da Gama. He returned to 
Portugal with his four ships laden with spices, silks, and other attractive 
merchandise. All Europe was in the wildest excitement, and the unsuc- 
cessful venture of the Cabots was hardly noticed. A papal bull granted 
to Portugal the sole right to trade in the Indies, which were treated as 
new discoveries. Alas for Venice! It was her mortal stab, and from 
that day her prosperity rapidly waned. The Portuguese established them- 
selves at the East, made Cochin their capital, appointed Vasco da Gama 
governor of the colony, and for nearly a century they supplied the markets 
of Europe with the Indian produce. Thus the actual results of immedi- 
ate communication with the Oriental world completely overshadowed 
the possible advantages to be reaped from lands lying to the west, which 
were still regarded as merely the unsurmouuted obstacle in the path to 
the Orient. The public could not be satisfied by tales of snow-bound or 
rocky shores without so much as a city or a castle over which to float a 
banner. 

But little by little the natural wealth of these western re- 
gions began to be recognized. At what period the fisheries of 
Newfoundland were first known to the hardy seamen of Brittany and 
Normandy it is impossible to determine with accuracy ; it must have 
been as early as the commencement of the sixteenth century. Cod, 
mackerel, and herring were found in abundance, and the demand for 



AMERICA AS INDEPENDENT HEMISPHERE. 17 

them, particularly in France, was greatly increased by the fasts of the 
church. During the next few years the Spaniards were busy following 
up the discoveries of Columbus by expeditions to Central and South 
America, and occupation of portions of those countries. This led to a 
neglect of their native soil, and seriouslj and mischievously re- 
tarded the rise of Spain to a front rank among powers; but 

it enlarged the boundaries of knowledge, and hastened the g 1 time 

when the earth should assume its proper form in the minds of men. 
Prior to the year 1522 the Straits of Magellan had Keen discovered, the 
broad Pacific crossed, and the globe circumnavigated. America stood 
boldly out as an independent hemisphere. 

And yet the avaricious merchantmen and navigators gave little 
heed to its possible resources. They scoured the oceans in every 
latitude, from the Arctic regions to Cape Horn, searching for a gateway 
through it to the jeweled cities of the East, The chivalric Francis I. of 
Fiance had in his employ, to accomplish certain deeds of daring, t he Italian 
navigator Verrazano, who in 1524 was sent on a voyage, with the ahove 
object in view. He cruised along our coast from the Carolinas to Nova 
Scotia, landing many times, and learning all that was possible, under the 
circumstances, of the strange country and its inhabitants. He estimated 
that America was greater in territorial extent than Europe and Africa 
combined, hut expressed his belief that he could penetrate by some pas- 
sage In the Indian Ocean. The chart : which his brother drew, contributed 
towards creating the supposition in Europe that at about the 4nth degree 
of latitude such a passage might be found. Verrazano's letter to Francis I 
has recently been shadowed with historic doubt, in a volume of nearly two 
hundred pages, from the facile pen of Hon. Henry C. Murphy ; but its un- 
certain light is by no means extinguished. Neither is it less interesting 
because of the poverty of actual proof in regard to its authenticity. < Ine 
paragraph relating to the " bellissimo lago at the mouth of the great river" 
points significantly towards our own sylvan solitudes, as follows: — 

"After proceeding one hundred leagues we found a very pleasant situa- 
tion among some steep hills, through which a large river, deep at the mouth, 
forced its way into the sea; from the sea to the estuary of the river any 
ship heavily laden might pass with the help of the tide, which rises eight 
feet. But as we were riding at anchor in a good berth we would not 
venture up in our vessel without a knowledge of the mouth, therefore 
we took the boat, and entering the river we found the country on the 

1 A copy of this chart is now in the possession of the American Geographical Society, hav- 
ing been recently obtained from the College of the Propaganda Fide in Rome at the instance oi 
Chief Justice Daly, and is a geographical curiosity. 



18 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

banks well peopled, the inhabitants not differing much from the others, 
being dressed out with the feathers of birds of various colors. They came 
towards us with evident delight, raising loud shouts of admiration, and 
showing us where we could most securely land with our boat. We passed 
up this river about half a league, when we found it formed a most beauti- 
ful lake upon which they were rowing thirty or more of their small boats 
from oue shore to the other, filled with multitudes who came to see us. 
All of a sudden, as is wont to happen to navigators, a violent contrary 
wind blew in from the sea, and forced us to return to our ship, greatly 
regretting to leave this region, which seemed so commodious and delight- 
ful, and which we supposed must also contain great riches, as the hills 
showed many indications of minerals." 1 

The letter was dated, " Ship Dolphin, in the Port of Dieppe, Nor- 
mandy," was a lengthy document, and, besides furnishing curious evidence 
of the state of nautical science at that time, gives vis a fair picture of the 
North American Indian as first seen by white men. We are induced to 
believe that the proprietors of Manhattan Island were an amiable people, 
and had made some progress in the arts which tend to ameliorate the 
savage. They were not hostile to visitors, and knew something of agri- 
culture. War was evidently unknown to them, as we can learn of no 
defenses against hostile attacks. They were, doubtless, of that tribe after- 
wards called Delawares, or, as they styled themselves, Lenni Lenape, 
which means original or unmixed men. 

It was an entirely different race that Champlain encountered in his 
wanderings into the State of New York, from the north, in 1609. They 
were fierce and cruel warriors, somewhat advanced in policy, arts, and 
agriculture, and had already instituted a confederacy of five independent 
nations, with a sort of congress of their own, seeming to know somewhat of 
civilized life and much of warlike achievement, long before they became 
students of the white man's craft. They called themselves Aquanu 
Schioni, or the United People. Iroquois is not an Indian, but a French 
name, and is a generic term, having been bestowed upon that type of 
language, the dialects of which were spoken by the Five Nations. We 
have strong reasons for suspecting that during the interim between 
Verrazano's visit and the subsequent Dutch settlement, the martial 
Iroquois extended their conquests from the inland lakes to the Atlantic 
sin ires, leaving the deteriorating effects of barbarous warfare upon the in- 
habitants, as, at the latter period, the river Indians and many upon the 

1 Bcschryv van America, by Jan Huyghen Van Linschotten. (Amsterdam). N. Y. H. 
S. Coll., Vol. I. (Second Series) pp. 45, 46. Sakluyt, III. 360, 361. Harris's Voyages, II. 
348. North American Re viexo for October, 1837. Belknap's Am. Biog., I. 33. 



EST EVAN GOMEZ. 



19 



sea-coast were found subject to the Iroquois, acknowledging the same by 
the payment of an annual tribute. 

Of the subsequent career of Verrazano very little is known. We 
catch fugitive glimpses of him only, enough to excite but not suffi- 
cienl In satisfy curiosity. There is evidence existing that he com- 
manded an expedition to the Indies for spices, in 1526, and it is supposed 
that he was engaged also in piratical ventures. He disappeared from 
public view, after having greatly advanced the knowledge of the aew 
country and given France some claim to an extensive and picturesque 
territory. 1 




Group of gentlemen, 



ring fashions of the day. 



In 1525 Estevan Gomez, a decoyed Portuguese, who had been the ehiet' 
pilot of Magellan on his southern voyage, presuming that, since a strait 
to Cathay had been discovered in the south, there must necessarily be 
one at the north, sailed in the interests of Spain to find it. He is sup- 
posed tn have cruised along our coasts as far as the Hudson River, since Rio 
de (lamas was the first name of European origin which it bore, and there 
is evidence of his having sailed to the shores of Maine, that land being 
described upon the Spanish maps as the Tierra de Gomez. 2 He, like 
Verrazano, drew a chart and it was the more valuable of the two, as the 
former was entirely unknown down to the year 1582, when it appeared in 

i Charlevoix, AVmr. Fr., 1. ?s ; Bancroft, 1. 18. Annibal Garo, Lettere Familiari, Tomo I. 
let. 12. Article by Hon. J. Carson Brcvoort, in Journals Am. Geog Soc. X. V.. Vol. IV. 

- Herrcra, Dec III. lib. S. cap. 8. Navarrete, I. e. p. 17!'. Oviedo (So>nmario), cap. 10, 
f..l. 14. Peter Martyr, Dec VIII. cap. 9. 



20 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the Hakluvt Collection of Voyages. Gomez's draft was embodied in the 
planisphere made by Eibero, now preserved in the British Museum. At a 
congress held at Badajos after Gomez's return, at which were present Se- 
bastian Cabot, then pilot-major of Spain, and all the most distinguished 
geographers of both Spain and Portugal; the outlines of America were 
fixed for the first time, the chart of Gomez was adopted by the official 
chart-makers, and from their works, with occasional amendments, passed 
into all the charts and maps of the sixteenth century, and some of the 
seventeenth. Beyond the information thus obtained, Gomez's voyage 
was very meager in results. He. caught a few Indians to carry as tro- 
phies to the Spanish king, I lharles I. ; but when he arrived at Coruna, the 
courier who was despatched by post with the news, mistook slaves (escla- 
vos tor cloves, which was what Gomez had promised to bring home 
with him should he reach Cathay, ami there was great excitement among 
the courtiers and uohles until the ludicrous blunder was corrected 
"Then," says the quaint chronicler of the event, "there was much laugh- 
ter." 1 From that time Spain had no confidence in any northern enter- 
prise. " To the South : to the Smith ! " was the cry, ami all the strength 
and resources she could spate from her home wars was directed towards 
the prosecution of her discoveries and conquests in South America. 
"They that seek riches." said Peter Martyr. " must not go to the fro/en 
North : " 

For the next three fourths of a century the wilds and wastes of North 
America received comparatively little notice from the European powers. 
It was visited at different points ami dates by fishermen and private ad- 
venturers, and a few flags were raised and colonies planted, but its geog- 
raphy, farther than its coast-outline, remained almost wholly unknown. 
During the interval France was ton much occupied by her fruitless expe- 
ditions into Italy, and her unequal contest with the power and policy 
of Charles I. of Spain, and also by the civil wars with which she was 
desolated for nearly half a century, to speculate amidst her miseries upon 
possibilities, or lav plans for the future extension of her territories except 
upon parchment. England, too, through most of that period, was agitated 
and weakened by intestine broils or unwise interference in foreign af- 
fairs. Her immense navy, which has since enabled her to give law to the 
ocean, was then scarcely in embryo ; 2 and her commerce about the year 
1-350 had become so nearly extinct that bankruptcy appeared tor a time 

1 Gomara, chap. 40 (1st editiou, 1552). History of '/<• West Indus, by Peter Martyr 
(1530). Hustoria de las Iiidias Oecid ntales, by Antonio de Harrera (edition 1601), Tomo 
III. Dec. III. cap. 8. 

2 Sod- 1 sect. 4, p. lit. 



ENGLAND AND RUSSIA. 21 

inevitable. Xative produce was in no demand, foreign importations had 
ceased, and a singular monopoly, consisting chiefly of the tailors of ex- 
tensive mercantile houses in Antwerp and Hamburg, had obtained con- 
trol of her markets, and, vampire-like, was sucking her remnant 
of strength. The statesmen ami the merchants of the realm met 
in consultation, and took counsel of the aged and justly celebrated 5 
tian Cabot, whii, although he had thrice made the attempt to reach Asia 
by the north without success, had uever given up his hobby, that " some 
greal good lay in store for the world by the way of the Polar Seas.'' He 
advised that the aorthera coasts of Europe he explored for new markets. 
and an effort made to reach Cathay by a Siberian route 

A company was accordingly formed, which was called "Tin- Society for 
tlie Discovery of Unknown Lands," and an expedition was fitted out in 
1553, the expenses of which were mostly home by private subscription. It 
was placed under the command of Sir Hugh Willoughby, and the bold 
Richard Chancellor was made pilot-major of the fleet. The \essels became 
separated during a storm, and Willoughby with two of them, after the must 
terrific hardships, reached an obscure harbor mi tin' desolate dust of Lap- 
land, where he ami his men finally perished. Chancellor, with heroic per- 
sistence, pushed his way through frozen waters where sunlight was perpet- 
ual, and landed in safety at Archangel Puissia was then scarcely known 
to Western Europe. Chancellor made good use of his opportunities He 
journeyed by sledge to Moscow, ami was invited in a personal interview 
with Emperor Ivan the Terrible. A lucrative and permanent trade was 
established between the two countries, which was the foundation of the 
commercial and political relations that have continued with slight inter- 
ruptions to the present time. By it a fresh impulse was given to produc- 
tive industry in England, and her credit was improved, while intercourse 
with the English secured to the Russians civilization, intelligence, and 
comfort. When Chancellor returned in 1554 to England, he was the 
bearer of a letter from Ivan the Terrible to Edward IV. The Muscovy 
Company, as it was afterwards styled, obtained a formal charter from the 
Crown, dated February ii, 1555, in which Sebastian Cabot was named 
as its first governor. It was granted a charter of privileges also by the 
Russian Emperor, and commenced energetic operations Tin- same com- 
pany, after a brilliant career of more than three hundred years, is still in 
existence. For full fifty years after its organization it absorbed the 
energy and the surplus capital of the English nation: ami nothing was 
attempted in America save a few unimportant settlements, which came 
to nothing. 

Meanwhile the Dutch were preparing for a marvelous lea]) into public 



22 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



notice. When, in 1580, Philip II. united Portugal to Spain, and pres- 
ently began his war upon England, his ports were closed against English 
vessels. Therefore England was forced to buy her spices, silks, and other 
Indian produce of the Dutch. But the revolt of the Netherlands followed 
in quick succession, and Dutch vessels were excluded from Lisbon, which 
had been so long the European depot for Indian wares. Although the 
Dutch were not a creative people, there was no nation under the sun 
which, being strongly pushed in one direction, was more sure to succeed 
than they. They had begun already to reap large profits from their Eng- 
lish trade. Prices had gone up on all India goods ; that of pepper by two 
hundred per cent. They were compelled, as it were, to seek a direct pas- 
sage to the Orient. Thus originated the great commercial corporation 
known as the Dutch East India Company. Their vessels followed in 
the track of the Portuguese around Africa. The directors were mostly 
city nobles of the old school, and so prosperous became the company that 
in twenty years they divided more than four times their original capital 
among the shareholders, besides having acquired a vast amount of prop- 
erty in colonies, fortifications, and vessels. 




East India Company's House. 



While struggling for freedom amid the smallest beginnings, and at war 
with the nation the shadow of whose haughty flag waved over half 
a conquered world, and whose fashions and language controlled the courts 
of Europe, the Hutch received the impetus which raised them to the rank 



THE DUTCH WEST INDIA COMPANY. 23 

of a great power. More than one hundred Protestant families, the very 
pith of the nation, were driven from Belgium by the Spaniards, and found 
their homes in Holland and Zealand. The ruin of the ancient trade and 
opulence of Belgium and the sudden expansion of the Dutch Republic 
were two sides of the same event. But the exiled Belgians had no inten- 
tion of remaining permanently in Northern Netherlands. They breathed 
a new element of commercial strength into the atmosphere, ami at the 
same time were putting their shrewd heads together to devise some 
method by which Belgium might lie delivered from the Spanish yoke. 
They well knew that the wide possessions of Spain were open to the 
resolute attacks of a vigorous foe. Finally, they originated the gigantic 
scheme of a warlike company of private adventurers, who should conquer 
or ruin the Spanish settlements, seize the Spanish transports, and cut off 
all communication with her Transatlantic dependencies. And they pro- 
posed to name it, very appropriately, the West India Company. 

The obstacles in the way of putting so vast a project into execution 
were very great. John of Barneveld was at the head of affairs in the 
Dutch Republic, and advocated peace. He was too practical a philoso- 
pher not to appreciate the enormous advantages his country had just 
gained. The victorious return of the Belgians to their native province 
would only remove commerce and political lead to the south, and was in 
no case to be desired. He was fully determined to prevent the existence 
of any such warlike corporation as the one under consideration. But the 
Belgians found energetic allies. The lower classes in the Holland towns 
favored them because that Barneveld was hated for his aristocratic pro- 
clivities. Influential men from the other Dutch provinces lent their aid 
because the Advocate aimed at an overweening influence for Holland. 
The House of Orange gave them the hand of fellowship because this great 
family aspired to wider dominion ami to a less limited authority than 
they had hitherto possessed. 

The leader of the Belgian party was William Ussehnex. an exiled 
Antwerp merchant of noble descent, whose force of will was simply mar- 
velous, and whose magnetic influence over his countrymen was so great 
that they seemed to think with his brain ami act with his hand. His 
ready pen kept the political life of Holland in one continual ferment. 
He was opposed to peace with Spain under any circumstances. He said 
the quarrel was in its nature irreconcilable and eternal, because it was 
despotism sacerdotal ami regal arrayed against the spirit of rational hu- 
man liberty. His arguments were convincing, and his wit was as Bash- 
ing and as quickly unsheathed as a sword. 

The Dutch revolt was in itself the practical overthrow of religious tyr- 



24 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

anny. It was a healthy and, for the age, an enlightened movement. 
But theological disputes arose upon the ruins of popular delusions, even 
among the Protestants themselves. Arminius, from the ancient Univer- 
sity of Leyden, undertook the difficult task pf justifying before the tribu- 
nal of human reason the doctrine of the condemnation of sinners pre- 
destined to evil. He publicly taught, also, that the ministers of the 
church ought to be dependent upon the civil authority. The municipali- 
ties caught at the cleverly thrown bait, and attempted to free themselves 
from the pretensions of the established clergy. Gomar, a celebrated 
scholar and a religious fanatic, defended the doctrines of the established 
Protestant church and its principles of ecclesiastical polity. He was an 
ultimate associate of Usselinex ; and both, being courageous, crafty, far- 
seeing men, were anxious to prolong a Mar which would render 
the absolute government of the magistrates impossible, and sub- 
mission to the Prince of Orange a political necessity. 

Thus two parties were formed which lasted down to the French Revo- 
lution, and even at the present day there remains of them nearly as much 
as of whiggism and toryism in England. They were divided in almost 
every question of public interest. The Belgian party were strict Calvin- 
ists and democrats, and their policy was to carry on the war with Spain 
until Belgium should be freed. The Barneveld party were Arminians, 
aristocrats, republicans, and cpuite content to give Belgium over to the 
Spaniards. 

The question of the West India Company was agitated for nearly 
thirty years. Its actual existence dates from the year 1006. That is, 
commissioners were named from the Assembly at that period, and discus- 
sions were frequent in regard to it. But Barneveld, who was at the head 
of the Assembly, never seriously thought of confirming the corporation. 
He only wished to use it as a threat for the intimidation of Spain, and it 
was chiefly by this menace that the twelve years' truce was accomplished, 
which played so important a part in the history of the Netherlands. 

The wrangling between the two political parties grew more fierce as 
the details of the peace negotiations became known. The river Scheldt 
was to be closed, Antwerp thus ruined, Belgium given up, and all attacks 
upon the Spanish forbidden. The peace party maintained the principle 
of excluding strangers from every employment, and of concentrating all 
public offices in a few patrician houses of the old stock. The impov- 
erished, but proud and fiery Belgian exiles looked with dismay at 
their gloomy prospects in the event of the truce being agreed upon, and 
put forth all their energies towards the accomplishment of the West 
India Company. Usselincx wrote a series of pamphlets, in style simple 



THE TWELVE YEARS TRUCE. 25 

and effective, and which belong to the most remarkable productions of that 
class iif literature. They created such a sensation, and attracted to such 
a degree the attention of contemporary historians, that the must distin- 
guished of them all, Emanuel vanMeteren, reprinted one of them ruin. 
But the pamphlets, like the plan for the Wesl India Company. 

1609. 

only served to accelerate the conclusion of the truce. The Ad- 
vocate made a singular use of his adversary's weapons. A cessation 
of hostilities for twelve years was signed by the representatives of the 
two nations in 1609. It was a signal victory for the aristocratic party. 

But ten years later the great statesman paid for it with his life. No 
sooner had the Calvinistic faction gained tin- ascendency than the Wesl 
India Company became a fixed fact. Ami it was due almost entirely to 
the herculean exertions of Usselincx. It is singular that a man who has 
earned so honorable a place in history should he so little known to the 
world. It is true that he never held an official position, yet he founded 
two great commercial companies, which were so prolific in results that, 
had justice been properly meted out, his name would have been immor- 
talized. He contributed more than any power to annihilate Spain. He 
brought to New York the nation in which the principle of free commu- 
nities — the vital principle of American liberty — was carried out to its 
full extent. He made Sweden a maritime power. Ami by the success 
of his enterprises, he was, in 1629, instrumental in saving Holland from 
the Spanish yoke, — an act so vast in its consequences that for it alone 
he deserves the eternal gratitude of all Germanic Europe. 

In the mean time, and just about the date of the conclusion of tin- 
twelve years' truce with Spain, the East India Company hud unwit- 
tingly discovered Manhattan Island, with which account the next chapter 
opens. 




Portrait of John of Ba 



26 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER II. 

1609 1614. 

HENRY HUDSON. 

Henry Hudson. — His Voyages. — He discovers Manhattan Island. — His Voy- 
age up the Hudson River. — His Visit to an Indian Chief. — His tragical 
Fate. — American Furs. — Settlement of Virginia. — Voyages to Manhattan. 
— The Fur Trade. — Burning of the Tiger. — Building of a Ship at Man- 
hattan. —Description of Manhattan Island. — The Manhattan Indians. — 
Customs and Deess.— Money and Politics. — Trading Privileges. 

OF the personal history of the illustrious navigator Henry Hudson 
very little is known. The first view we have of him is in the 
church of St. Ethelburge, Bishopsgate Street, London, in the summer of 
1607, whither he had gone with his crew to partake of the sacrament 
before sailing under the auspices of the Muscovy Company in search of a 
passage to "Asia across the North Pole." His whole life as known to 
the world extends only over a period of about four years; and there is 
no portrait of him, not even a contemporaneous print of doubtful authen- 
ticity. This is the more remarkable as he lived in an age when it was 
quite the fashion to preserve the pictures of celebrities. 1 He appears be- 
fore us a manly man in middle life, well educated, courageous, cool, an 
expert in seamanship, and of wide experience in his country's service. 
Who he was, has been a matter of much speculation. His father was 
prohably Christopher Hudson, one of the factors of the Muscovy Com- 
pany, and their agent in Eussia as early as 1.360, a personage who a 
little later was made governor of the company, — an office he retained 
with honor until 1601. The grandfather of the discoverer of New York 
is supposed to have been the Henry Hudson who, in 1554, figured among 
the founders, and was the first assistant, of the Muscovy Company. 

1 Purchas His Pilgrimcs and Pilgrimage. Hakhiiit Culler/ imi of I'ugages. Vol. I. X. Y. 
If. s. Coll. (First Series). Hcnrii Hudson in Holland, by Hon. Henry C. Murphy. Henry 
Hudson the Navigator, by Dr. Asher, member of the Bakluyt Society of London. Histori- 
cal Inquiry concerning Henry Hudson, by General John M. Read, Jr. Sailing Directions of 
Henry Hudson, by Rev. B. F. de Costa. 



HENRY HUDSON. 27 

Hudson's voyage in 1607 resulted only in his attaining a much 
higher degree of northern latitude than any of his predecessors. 1607 - 
The next year he sailed ninth again, lmt returned without hav- 

,.,,., 1608. 

mg achieved any further measure of success. 

The news that such voyages were in progress traveled in due course 
of time to Holland, and rendered the Dutch East India Company uneasy 
lest the discovery of a short route to India by their industrious rivals 
should suddenly deprive them of a lucrative trade. The learned historian, 
Van Meteren, was the Dutch minister at the Court of St. James, and 
through him messages were transmitted inviting Hudson to visit Holland. 

h was not long ere the famous sea-captain arrived al the Hague, 
and was received with much ceremony. The officers of the com- 
pany met, and all that had been discovered concerning the northern seas 
was carefully discussed. The Dutch had not been behind their neighbors 
in daring exploits. Even while raising enormous sums of money towards 
carrying on the war with Spain, they had bent everj energj towards ex- 
tending their commerce. Merchant companies and private adventures had 
been encouraged and assisted by the government. A number of expeditions 
had endeavored to reach "China behind Norway," and trading monopolies 
had been established in Guinea and at Archangel ; in short, the sails of the 
nation whitened the waters of almost every clime. The noblemen who 
directed the affairs of the East India Company were as cautious as they 
were enterprising. Some of them had been so influenced by the repre- 
sentations of the sorely disappointed De Moucheron, Barentsen, Cornelis- 
sen, Heemskerck, and others, that they declared it would be a waste of 
time and money to attempt again the navigation of the vast oceans of ice. 
But Hudson stood before them full of enthusiasm, and expressed his anient 
conviction that Asia might be reached by the northeast. Peter Plantius, 
a clergyman of the Reformed Dutch Church in Amsterdam, who had been 
engaged with Usselincx in trying to found the West India Company, 
opened a correspondence with Hudson, and sent him some of his own 
published works. Plantius had a profound knowledge of maritime affairs, 
the result of unwearied investigations, and he warmly seconded the 
effort to search for a northeastern passage. He said that the failure of 
Heemskerck in 1596 was due to his trying to go through the Straits of 
Weygate, instead of keeping to the north of the island of Nova Zembla. 
After much delay, an expedition was finally planned ami Hudson 
placed in command. The Amsterdam Chandler defrayed the expenses. 
They furnished a yacht, or Dutch galliot, — an awkward, clumsy kind of a 
brig, with square sails upon two masts. It was a tolerably safe craft, lmt 
a slow sailer, of forty lasts' or eighty tons' burden, and was called the 



28 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Half Moon. It was manned with a crew of twenty men, partly English 
and partly Dutch sailors. Hudson was instructed to pass by the north 
and northeast of Nova Zembla, towards the Straits of Anian, and to 
search for no other routes or passages but the one in question. He 
obeyed his employers to the letter, until the cold grew so intense that the 
seamen of the East India Company, who had been accustomed to warmer 
climates, became chilled and unfit for duty. Once or twice the vessel 
escaped as by a miracle from unknown currents, then mountains of ice 
encompassed it, and the crew were so terrified that they arrayed them- 
selves in open rebellion. Hudson's only alternative was to turn back. 
He at once gave his attention to searching for a passage to Asia through 
the American Continent. He was familiar with Yerrazano's charts and 




Hudson's Ship. 

reports, and he was a personal friend of Captain John Smith, whose 
adventures in America were watched in England with critical inter- 
est. He had good reasons for supposing that there was some commu- 
nication with the South Sea at about the fortieth degree of latitude. He 
accordingly sailed southward as far as Virginia, then cruised along 
the shore in a northerly direction until the 2d of September, 
when he anchored in sight of the beautiful hills of Neversink, which 
hold the post of honor near the portals to our island. The next day he 
ventured a little farther into the lower bay, and found what he 
supposed to be three great rivers, one of which he tried to enter, 
but was prevented by " the very shoal bar before it." 

On the morning of September 4th he sent out a small boat to 
explore and sound the water, and a good harbor was found where 



HUDSON DISCOVERS MANHATTAN ISLAND. 29 

the se;i "was four and five fathoms, two cables' length from shore." A 
great many tine fish were also discovered. Indians were seen along the 
shores, and towards evening they came prospecting around the Half Moon 
m small canoes. They were dressed in skins, wore feathers in their hair, 
and were adorned with clumsy copper ornaments. They brought with 
them green tobacco, and ottered it as a peace-offering. They were so 
civil that a party of the sailors landed among them the nexl day, 
and were very well and deferentially treated. In addition to 
tobacco, they seemed to have a great abundance of maize, or Indian 
corn, dried currants, and hemp. 

On the 6th, John Coleman, an Englishman, who had been with 
Hudson on his previous polar voyages, was sent with four seamen 
to sound the Narrows. They passed through Kill von Kull to Newark 
Hay. The sweetness of the inner land, and the crisp saltness of the 
distant sea, were mixed in one delicious breeze, and they reported the 
country " as pleasant with grass and flowers as any they had ever seen 
While returning to the Half Moon late in the afternoon, they were at- 
tacked by some Indians in canoes, and John ( loleman was killed by oi 

their arrows. The Indians doubtless fired at random, as there is no evidence 
that hostilities were continued, or any attempt made to capture the boat, 
which in the confusion might have been done with the greatest ease. 
Night came on, and the frightened sailors lost their light and their way, 
and were tossed about on the troubled sea until ten o'clock the 
next morning, when, with the remains of their murdered officer, 
they were at last received upon the Half Moon. Coleman was buried 
upon a point of land near by, which was called Coleman's Point. 

For some days afterward Hudson spent his time in examining the 
shores, sounding the waters, and bartering with the Indians. The Iattei 
were closely watched, but manifested no knowledge of the fatal affray by 
which John Coleman had lost his life. On the 11th the Half 
Moon was cautiously guided through the Narrows, and anchored 
in full view of Manhattan Island. How little Hudson dreamed that it 
would one day become the home of Europe's overflowing population ! 
His mind was occupied with visions of a different character. He w 7 as 
encouraged to believe that he had at last found the passage to Cathay ; 
for the river stretching off to the north was of such gigantic proportions 
as to dwarf almost to insignificance the comparative streamlets of the 
eastern continent! He determined to proceed at all hazards; but the 
wind was ahead, and he could move only with the flood tide, hence 

J Sept. 14 

it was not until the 14th that he commenced the ascent of the 
river in earnest. 



30 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

If Hudson had been a trained detective he could not have been sharper- 
eyed in his observations of the country along his route than his circum- 
stantial journal indicates. The Indians hovered about bis vessel, anxious 
to trade their produce for the buttons, ornaments, and trinkets of 
the sailors. On the 17th he anchored at a point just above the 
present city of Hudson, and the next day accompanied an old Indian 
chief to his home on the shore. It was a circular wigwam, and upon the 
Englishman's entrance, mats were spread upon the ground to sit upon, 
and eatables were passed round in a well-made red wooden bowl. Two 
Indians were sent in quest of game, and returned with pigeons. A fat 
due was also killed, and skinned with sharp shells. Hudson was served 
to a sumptuous repast, but he declined an invitation to spend the night 
with his royal host, and the Indians, supposing it was because he was 
at iaid of their bows and arrows, broke them in pieces and threw them in 
the fire. 

They proceeded on their way up the river for a few days, but 
at last navigation became obstructed, and a boat was sent eight 
or nine leagues in advance to measure the water. "Seven foot and 
unconstant soundings" deterred the bold mariner from proceeding far- 
ther. He had gone as far as he could, and Asia was not yet. There 
are conflicting opinions as to the precise point reached by the Half Moon, 
but it is generally supposed that it attained about the latitude of Castle 
Island, just below Albany. 

The glowing description which Hudson gave of the country and its re- 
sources was incorporated in an elaborate work by the Dutch historian 
De Laet, one of the directors of the West India Company some years 
later. Hudson wrote " that the land was of the finest kind for tillage, 
and as beautiful as the foot of man ever trod upon." He made himself, 
it seems, very agreeable to the natives. On one occasion he persuaded 
two old Indians and their squaws, and two maidens of sixteen and seven- 
teen years, to dine with him in the cabin of his vessel, and said that 
" they deported themselves with great circumspection." At another time 
he treated some of the sachems to wine until they were merry, and one 
of them was so very drunk that he could not leave the Half Moon until 
the next day. 1 

Hudson commenced his return on the 23d, and, eleven days afterwards, 
" went out of the mouth of the great river," and sailed for Europe. On 
the 7th of November he arrived safely at Dartmouth, England, where he 
was detained by the English authorities, who denied his right to enter 

1 At this very moment the eminent French navigator, Champlain, was upon the waters of 
the lake which hears his name, and within one hundred miles of Hudson. 



HUDSON'S DEATH. 31 

iiito the service of a foreign power. He forwarded a report of his adven- 
tures to the Dutch East India Company, with a proposal to change six or 
seven of his crew and allow him to try the frozen seas again, llis com- 
munication did not reach Holland for several months, and his employers 
were ignorant of his arrival in England. When they wen- at last ap- 
prised of the tact, they sent a peremptory order for him to return with 
the Half Moon. He would have obeyed, but the arm of the English law 
withheld him. The vessel, however, was sent with its cargo to Holland 

The Muscovy Company made immediate arrangements to avail them- 
selves of Hudson's valuable services, ami fitted out another expedition to 
the north seas. The expenses were defrayed by private English gentle- 
men, one of whom was Sir Dudley Diggs. Hudson sailed towards the 
northeast again until the ice obstructed his progress, then proceeded 
westward, and after many trials and hardships discovered the bay and 
strait which have immortalized his name; hut his superstitious crew 
greatly magnified the dangers by which they were surrounded, and at 
last arose in open mutiny. They placed their heroic commander in a 
small boat, to drift helplessly over the dreary waste of frozen waters, 
which are, alas ! his tomb and his monument. To fully appreciate the 
character of such a man as Henry Hudson, we must never lose sight of 
tin' fact that the real hazards of those early voyages were exceedingly 
great, and the imaginary perils infinite. Even now, after the lapse of 
nearly three centuries, we cannot dwell upon his tragic late without 
mourning that such a life could not have been spared to the world a. 
little longer, ami that he who accomplished so much for posterity should 
have had so slight a comprehension of the magnitude of his labors and 
discoveries. 

The aristocratic Dutch East India Company regarded all Hudson's 
reports with indifference. They had a great aversion to America, and 
ignored it altogether. They had been coining wealth too long and too 
easily from the immense profits on their India goods to be interested in 
anything short of the Orient. They actually sent again two vessels 
to the Xorth in 1611, to explore among the icebergs for a direct route 
to Asia, hoping to soften the edge of former disappointments. 

But there were traders in the Netherlands whose eyes were opened to a 
hidden mine of wealth through the skins with which the returned HalJ 
Moon had been laden. Furs were much worn in the cold countries of 
Europe, and the Dutch reveled in the costly extravagance. These furs 
were obtained mostly through the Russian trade. From sixty to eighty 
Holland vessels visited Archangel every year, agents were stationed 

° 1610. 

at Xovogorod and other inland towns, and a brisk traffic was kept 



32 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

up with ancient Muscovy. The wise Russian Emperor had courted this 
prosperous commerce, but had laid a duty of five per cent on all imported 
goods, and allowed an equivalent amount to be exported duty free. 
Whoever exported more than he imported paid a duty of five per cent on 
the difference. 1 

If the same and similar goods could he obtained in the New World in 
exchange for the veriest bawbles, and command a remunerative market at 
Ik ime, it was a golden opportunity. At all events, it was worth an inves- 
tigation. A partnership was organized, and a vessel fitted out and 
laden with small wares. A portion of the crew of the Half Moon 2 were 
secured, and the ship was placed under the command of an experienced 
officer of the East India Company. Hudson River was again visited, and 
a cargo of skins brought back to Holland. The account of the voyage 
was published, and the friendly disposition of the Indians much descanted 
upon. 

It was at a period wheii the press everywhere was teeming with pam- 
phlets of travel and descriptions of the earth as far as known. Geogra- 
phy was becoming with some few a life-study, and every added grain 
ul' knowledge was seized with avidity. 

England had already begun to think seriously of planting colonies in the 
New World. The timid James I., perplexed to know how to provide for 
the great numbers of gallant men of rank and spirit who had served 
under Queen Elizabeth both by sea and by land, and who were out of 
employment, bad permitted a company to be formed in London for the 
purpose of settling Virginia, and in 1606 granted it a patent which em- 
braced the entire Atlantic coast from Cape Fear to Nova Scotia, ex- 
cepting Acadia, then in actual possession of the French. Many of the 
impoverished noblemen immediately embarked for their new home, and 
had been tilling the fertile soil of Virginia for three years prior to the 
discovery of Manhattan Island. These general facts were well known in 
Holland, and the States-General in 1611, through Caron, their ambassa- 
dor at London, made overtures to the British government to ioin 

1611. . ° . 

them in their Virginian Colony, and also to unite the East India 
trade of the two countries. But the statesmen of England were unfavor- 
ably inclined towards either project. Their reply was, " If we join upon 
equal terms, the art and industry of your people will wear out ours." 3 

1 Uichesse de la Hollande, I. 51. Muilkerk. McOullagh's Industrial History. 

2 ffeckr.irelil.rr, New York Hist. Soc. Coll. Totes and Moulton. 

'■' WinwooaVs Memorial, lit. 239. Extract of a letter from Mr. John Moore to Sir Francis 
Winwood, the English ambassador at the Hague, dated London, December 15, lfilO. 
Corps Dip., V. 99-102. Grotiws, XVIII. 812. Van Meteren. 



TRADERS AT MANHATTAN. 33 

During the summer of 1611, Captain Eendrick Christiaensen, while 

returning from a voyage to the West Indies, where many Dutch vessels 
obtained salt every year, necessary for curing herrings, found himself in 
the vicinity of the "great river," the Hudson (which the Belgian Dutch 
called "Mauritius," in honor of the Prince of Orange), and but that his 
ship was heavily laden would have ventured in. As soon as he arrived 
in Holland lie entered into a partnership with Adriaen Block ; they 
chartered a small vessel, took goods on commission, and saded for Man- 
hattan. The Indians were glad to see them, and they hail no difficulty 
in freighting their (•rait with skins. They also persuaded two young In- 
dian chiefs, Orson and Valentine, to accompany them to Holland. 

Block wrote a long and graphic account of his voyage, which was pub- 
lished and circulated in all the Dutch cities. Its object was to awaken 
public interest in the American fur-traffic. The two Indians were taken 
from place to place to create a sensation, and with pretty good success. 
Erelong three wealthy merchants, Hans Eongers, Paulus Pelgrom, ami 
Lambrecht Van Tweenhuysen, formed a partnership ami equipped two 
vessels for Manhattan. They were the Fortune and the Tiger, and were 
intrusted to the command of Christiaensen and Block. Presently some 
gentlemen in North Holland sent two vessels to trade at Manhattan. 
One of them, the Little Fox, was commanded by Captain John de Witt, 
an uncle of the celebrated Dutch statesman who was grand pensionary of 
the Netherlands in 1652. The. other was the Nightingale, ami was in 
charge of Captain Thys Volckertsen. Within three months the owners 
of the Fortune and the Tiger sent out a third vessel, commanded by Cap- 
tain Cornelis Jacobsen May, who ten years later was made Director-Gen- 
eral of New Netherland. Their success was flattering, for the Indians were 
captivated by the trinkets which were ottered in exchange for skins. 

It is worth noting that from the very first the admirable commer- 
cial position of Manhattan Island indicated it, as if by common 
consent, as the proper place where furs collected in the interior 
coidd be most readily shipped for Europe. Christiaensen, having won the 
confidence of his employers, became a legally appointed agent, and by 
means of trading-boats visited every creek, hay, river, and iidet in the 
neighborhood where an Indian settlement was to he found. He often 
took, also, long journeys into the country on foot, and was everywhere 
treated by the savages with kindness and consideration. 

One clear cold night in November the Tiger took tire at its anchorage, 
just off the southern point of Manhattan Island, and Block ami his crew 
escaped with much difficulty to the shore. The vessel burned to the 
water's edge, and as the other ships had all sailed for Holland there was 



34 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



no possible hope of any assistance from white men before spring. Block 
accepted the situation like a true philosopher, and erected four small 
habitations on the island at about the present site of 39 Broadway. Of 
their architecture we have no means of information, but they were doubt- 
less of the wigwam family. The Indians were hospitably inclined, bring- 
ing food out of their abundance, and the sailors were enabled to exist with 
comparative comfort until spring. Block was a plain man, of no incon- 
siderable tact and capacity. He had been bred to the law, but had de- 
serted his profession to study the science of navigation. He must have 
had a versatile genius, for he set himself at work with great energy to 
construct a new vessel upon the chaired remains of the Tiger. 1 




Burning of the Tiger. 

It was an arduous undertaking with the slender materials at command. 
Indeed, it requires considerable stretch of the imagination, in this age of 
mechanical luxury, to understand how such a feat could have been ac- 
complished at all. But it is one of the facts of history, and early 
in the spring of 1614 the justly famous yacht of 16 tuns' burden 
was found seaworthy, and launched in the waters of the Upper Bay. 
It was significantly called the Restless. I 'duck set forth in it to explore 



1 Plantagenet's Ne.w Albion. Brodhead, 48, note. Brcnli-n l',<i,<lt am <l- J'-n-riiiijhdc 
Nederlanrhchc Provintien contains a statement made by the Indians, that "when the 
Dutch lost a ship we provided the white men with food until the new ship was finished." 
De Last says : "To cany on trade with the Indians our people remained all winter." De 
Vries repeats the same. A record of the burning of the Tiger exists in the Royal Archives 
at the Hague under date of August 18, 1614. 



DESCRIPTION OF MANHATTAN ISLAND. 35 

the tidal channels to the east, where no large ships had yet ventured. He 
passed the numerous islands, and the dangerous strait called Hell ' rate, and 
to Ins amazement found himself in a " beautiful Inland sea," winch ex- 
tended eastward to the Atlantic. He was the first European navig 
far as we have any precise knowledge, who ever furrowed the waters "1 
Long Island Sound. 

About the same date Captain May again reached the American shores 
ami. hovering along the eastern and southern boundaries of Long Island, 
proved that it was indeed an island Finding his busini ss soon transacted 
at Manhattan, he visited Delaware Bay, and bestowed his name upon 
its northern cape. Block, meanwhile, interested himself in the peculiari- 
ties of the southern oast of Connecticut, and sailed up the great Fresh 
River as far as where the city of Hartford now stands. 1 He then pro- 
ceeded to Cape Cod, where he unexpectedly met Christiaensen. After 
some discussion they finally exchanged vessels, and Block sailed for Hol- 
land in the larger ami safer craft of his comrade, while Christiaensen con- 
tinued tn make explorations along the coast in the // 

Thus was Manhattan Island again left in primeval solitude, waiting till 
commerce should come ami claim its own. To the right, the majestic 
North River, a mile wide, unbroken by an island; to the left, the deep 
East River, a third of a mile wide, with a chain of slender islands abreast : 
ahead, a beautiful hay fifteen miles in circumference, at the foot 'if which 
the waters were cramped into a narrow strait with bold steeps mi either 
side ; and astern, a small channel dividing the island from the mainland 
to the north, and connecting the two salt rivers. Nature wore a hardy 
countenance, as wild and untamed as the savage landholders. Manhattan's 
twenty-two thousand acres of rock, lake, and rolling table-land, rising in 
places tn an altitude of one hundred and thirty-eight feet, were covered 
with somber forests, grassy knolls, and dismal swamps, The trees were 
lofty : and old, decayed, and withered limlis contrasted with the younger 
growth of branches, and wild-flowers wasted their sweetness among the 
dead leaves and uncut herbage at their roots. The wanton grape-vine 
swung carelessly from the topmost boughs of the oak and the sycamore, 
and blackberry and raspberry bushes, like a picket-guard, presented a bold 
fnmt in all the possible avenues of approach. Strawberries struggled for a 
feeble existence in various places, sometimes under foliage through which 
ii" sunshine could penetrate, and wild rose-bushes and wild currant-bushes 
hobnobbed, and were often found clinging to frail footholds among the 
ledges and cliffs, while apple-trees pitifully beckoned with their dwarfed 
fruit, as if to be relieved from too intimate an association with th 
) ],, Laet. Mass. ffist.Ooll., XV. 170. Brodkead, I. 57. 



36 in STORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

progeny of the crowded groves. The entire surface of the island was bold 
and granitic, and in profile resembled the cartilaginous back of a sturgeon 
Where the Tombs prison now casts its grim shadow in Center Street, was 
a fresh-water lake, supplied by springs from the high grounds about it, 
so deep that the largest ships might have floated upon its surface, and 
pure as the Croton which now flows through the reservoirs of the city. 
It had two outlets, — small streams, one emptying into the North, the 
other into the East River. 

It was not an interesting people whom the Dutch found in possession 
of Manhattan Island They have ever been surrounded with darkness 
and dullness, and we can promise very little entertainment while we call 
them up before us, with all their peculiarities of life, language, and garb, 
and with a few touches sketch them as a whole. They were tall, well made, 
broad of shoulder and slender in the waist, with large round faces, mild 
black eyes, and a cinnamon complexion. The distinguished scholar, Dr. 
O'Callaghan, says: " It was first supposed that this color was the effect 
of climate, but it has since been discovered to have been produced by the 
habitual use of unctuous substances, in which the juice of some root was 
incorporated, and by which this peculiar tinge was communicated to the 
skin of the North American Indian." They lived in huts which were 
built by placing two rows of upright saplings opposite each other, with 
their tops brought together and covered with boughs. These dwellings 
were skillfully lined with bark to keep out the cold. They were often 
large enough to accommodate several families ; but it must be remembered 
that each Indian only required space enough to lie down straight at 
night, and a place to keep a kettle and one or two other housekeeping 
articles. Windows and floors were unknown; fires were built on the 
ground in the center, and the smoke escaped through a small aperture in 
the roof. 

The Indians never located permanently, but moved about from one 
place to another, selecting such points as were naturally clear of wood. 
The men understood the use of the bow and arrow, and spent much of 
their time in hunting and fishing. They made fish-lines of grass or 
sinews, with bones or thorns for hooks. Wigwas was a process of fishing 
after dark, similar to that termed bobbing at the present day. They 
gathered shell-fish and oysters in great abundance, so that, wherever the 
land has been found covered with the debris of shells, it has been regarded 
as a certain indication that an Indian village once existed there. The 
Dutch found one such locality on the west side of Fresh-Water Pond, 
which they named Kalch-Hook, or Shell-Point. In course of time this 
name was abbreviated into Kaleh or Collech, and was applied to the 
pond itself 



CUSTOMS AND 1)1! ESS. 37 

The women, us usual among uncivilized nations, performed most of the 
field-work. The savages raised large quantities of corn and patches oi 
tobacco, and even pumpkins were cultivated in a rude, primitive waj 
They used sharpened shells for knives, and with them cut down trees and 
constructed canoes. Although they had no tallies nor ceremonies of eating, 
they were by no means indifferent to the quality of their food. It is 
even reported by some of the Dutch pioneers in the wilderness that much 
of their cookery was very palatable. Yockey was a mush made of pounded 
corn and the juice of wild apples. Swppaen was corn beaten and boiled 
in water. Succotash was corn and beans boiled together. Com was 
often roasted upon the ear. Fish and meat were boiled in water, un- 
dressed, entrails and all: dog's flesh was one of their greatesl delicacies 
Hickory-nuts and walnuts they pounded to a tine pulp, and, mixing it 
with water, made a popular drink. Supplies tor winter they lodued under 
ground in holes lined with hark. But, like the South American Indians, 
they had no letters, ami had never broken in a single animal to labor. 
They conveyed their ideas by hieroglyphics, like the ancient Egyptians, 
and were extremely superstitious. 

Of dress both sexes were extravagantly fund. The mantle of skins 
wiiiii by the men was often elaborately trimmed. The hair was tied on 
the crown of the head, and adorned with gay-colored feathers. The hair 
of the women was dressed very much like Guido's picture of " Venus 
adorned by the Graces." It was sometimes braided, and sometimes flow- 
ing loose down the back with the appearance of having been crimped 
The same style may now be seen in some recent paintings made by artists 
who have visited the Southwestern Indians, and it is not unusual in 
the pictures of the old masters and in the busts of the Grecian sculptures 
A highly ornamented petticoat, made of whale-tins and suspended from a 
belt or waist girdle, was very costly. Its value is said to have been equal 
to eighty dollars of our currency. Chains of curious workmanship, some- 
times only a collection of stones, were much worn upon the necks of both 
men and women, and wrought copper was suspended from their ears in a 
very Oriental manner. 

Gold was regarded by them with contempl on account of its color. 
Red and azure were their favorite hues. Wampum was their money, 
while at the same time it was used as an ornament for their persons. 
It consisted of small cylindrical beads manufactured from the white lining 
of the conch and the purple lining of the mussel shells. The purple 
beads were worth just twice as much as white beads. From a circulating 
medium among the Indians, it became the recognized currency of the 
earlv white settlers, and the Dutch called it sewan. In like manner, a 



38 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

species of shells are used at the present day as money in the interior of 
Africa. 

Public affairs were managed by a council of the wisest, most experi- 
enced, and bravest of their number, called sachems. They had no salary 
nor fees, to make office an object of ambition. Authority was secured by 
personal courage and address, and lost by failure in either of those quali- 
ties. Law and justice, in our acceptation of the terms, were unknown to 
them. When a murder was committed, the next of kin was the avenger. 
Fur minor offences there was rarely ever any punishment. Prisoners of 
war were considered to have forfeited all their rights of manhood, and 
towards them no pity or mercy was shown. With excessive thirst for ex- 
citement and display, war became then common lot and condition. The 
whole tendency of their lives and habits was to that point, and to be a 
great warrior was the highest possible distinction. They had crude and 
confused opinions respecting the creation of the world and a future exist- 
ence, and held vague ideas of a discrimination between the body and soul, 
but to all systems of religion they were entire strangers. Such was the 
race which gave way to modern civilization. 

On Block's return to Holland, 1 with the Fortune (Christiaen- 

sen's vessel, which he had exchanged for the Restless), his patrons 

received him with enthusiasm, and made immediate preparations to avail 

themselves of a new feature of governmental favor towards enterprising 

trade. 

The States-General, anxious to encourage the foreign commerce 

March 27 

of Holland, in January, 1614, had granted a charter to an associa- 
tion of merchants for prosecuting the whale fishery in the neighborhood 
of Nova Zembla, and for exploring a new passage to China. One of the 
directors of this new company was Lambrecht Van Tweenhuysen, one of 
the owners of Block's vessel, the Tiger. The importance of a similar 
grant of privileges to those at whose expense new avenues of trade were 
being opened in the vicinity of Manhattan was almost immediately dis- 
cussed. A petition to that effect was sent to the States. 2 The States 
recommended it to the general government. On the 27th of March the 
following was entered upon their records : " Whosoever shall from this 

1 A story has been many times repeated, how Captain Samuel Argall of Virginia, while 
returning from an inglorious expedition against the French colony at Acadia, in November 
of 1613, stopped at Manhattan and compelled the Dutch who were there to submit to the 
king of England. Such may have been in accordance with the facts, for it would have been 
in keeping with Argall's coarse, self-willed, and avaricious character ; but it is not supported 
by authentic state papers. 

2 "The States " of Holland must not be confounded with the States-General. The differ- 
ence was as great as between the representation of the State of Xew York and the Federal 
Congress at Washington. 



NEW TRAD IXC PRIVILEGES. 



39 



time forward discover any new passages, havens, lands, or places shall 
have the exclusive right of navigating to the same for four voyages." 
It was required that reports of discoveries should be made to the 
States-General within fourteen days alter the return of the exploring 
vessels, in order that the parties entitled to them should receive the 
specific trading privileges. When simultaneous discoveries should be 
made by different parties, the promised monopoly was to be enjoyed by 
them in common. 




if? :m*^-:_ t ± 

■ ? J .fiBtlili'-. 

q I - . 'f ' ry roa 



View of the Vyverberg at the Hague. 



40 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER III. 

1614 - 1625. 
THE HAGUE. 

The Hague. — John of Barneveld. — New Nethekland. — New England. — The 
First Fort at Manhattan. — Political Commotion in Holland. — John of Barne- 
veld's Execution.- — Imprisonment of Grotius. — The West India Company. — 
The Amsterdam Chamber. — The First Settlers of New Netherland. — Death 
of the Prince of Orange. — Death of James I. — The Marriage of Charles I. 
— The First Governor of New Netherland. 

TI I E Hague was the seat of government in the United Provinces. It 
was a line old city, with broad, straight streets, lined with trees and 
traversed by canals. It owed its origin to a hunting-seat built by the 
counts of Holland, and its name to the enclosing haeg or hedge 
which surrounded their magnificent park. It derived its impor- 
tance from the constant presence of gifted and illustrious men. The 
princes of Orange, the officers of State, and the foreign ministers ac- 
credited to the Eepublic, resided within its limits. It was the home of 
the ancient nobility, and the favorite resort of persons of culture and 
distinction from all portions of modern Europe. It was a city of palaces. 
Among its public buildings was the Binnehof, or inner court, the ancient 
palace of the counts of Holland. It contained a magnificent Gothic hall, 
the rival of Westminster. Opposite was a smaller apartment, superbly 
decorated, in which were held the " dignified and extraordinary " meet- 
ings of the States-General. 

The management of the Seven United Provinces was vested in five 
chief powers, — the States-General, the Council of State, the Chamber 
of Accounts, the Stadtholder, and the College of the Admiralty. The 
States-General had the most influence and authority, but it was hardly a 
representative body. It was, more properly speaking, a deputation from 
the Seven Provinces, who were bound to obey their constituents to the 
letter. It was composed chiefly of noblemen. Twelve usually assembled 
at its ordinary meetings. Prominent among them was the fouuder of 
the Dutch Eepublic, — he who had organized a political system out of 



JOHN OF BARNEVELD. 41 

chaos; a man who had no superior in statesmanship, in law, in the 
science of government, in intellectual power, in force of character. It 
was John of Barneveld. He bore an ancient and knightly name. He 
was of tall and commanding presence. While he cared more for the 
substance than the graces of speech, he was noted for his convincing 
rhetoric and magnetic eloquence. He had now reached his sixty-eighth 
year. He was austere and unbending in manner, with thin white hair 
pushed from a broad forehead which rose dome-like above a square ami 
massive face. He had a chill blue eye, not winning but commanding, 
high cheek-bones, a solid, somewhat scornful nose, a firm mouth ami 
chin, the latter of which was enveloped in a copious white beard, ami the 
whole head not unfitly framed in the stiff, formal ruff of the period. His 
magisterial robes were of velvet and sable, and thus we have him in our 
mind's eye as he sat at the head of the oval council table on October 1 1, 
1614 

In the midst of the transaction of weighty affairs of state, a committee 
of Amsterdam merchants was announced. They were admitted without 
delay. The chief speaker among them was Captain Block. He told his 
story of adventure aud discovery, and displayed a "Figurative map" 
of the country at the mouth of the Hudson River and thereabouts, which 
had been executed artistically under his own supervision, and which was 
spread upon the council table and examined with interest. Barneveld 
asked many questions, all of which Block answered promptly and in- 
telligently. Barneveld remarked that, " in course of time those exten- 
sive regions might become of great political importance to the Dutch 
Republic." Several of the Statesmen expressed the same opinion. 

The merchants were before them to petition for a special trading 
license to the Hudson country, and the " high and mighty lords " were so 
favorably inclined, that their secretary was at once ordered to draw up a 
minute of a trading charter, the original of which is in existence, mid 
records in almost dlegible characters the first use of the term New 
Netherland. This instrument was sealed and attested before the appli- 
cants left; and by it they were granted the full and exclusive right to 
trade in New Netherland for four successive voyages to he made within 
three years from the 1st of January, 1615. It expressly forbade any 
other party from sailing out of the United Provinces to that territory, or 
frequenting the same, within the time specified, under pain of confisca- 
tion of vessels and cargoes, and a fine of fifty thousand Netherland ducats 
to the benefit of the .grantees of the charter. 1 It was a distinct acl of 

1 The original charter was brought to light by Mr. Brodhead during his researches in the 
archives of tin- Hague. 



42 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

sovereignty over the country between New France and Virginia, which 
was called " New Netherland," a name which it continued to bear 
for half a century. It was entirely without boundary lines, and 
extended westward as far as the Dutch might be supposed ever to explore. 
Yet the charter, after all, was only an assurance to the associated mer- 
chants of a monopoly of trade against the competition of other Dutch sub- 
jects, without, for the present, asserting the right to exclude the outside 
world. No political powers were granted for the government of the new 
province, and nothing was at the time contemplated but discovery 
and traffic. 

It is a singular coincidence, that, during the same summer in which 
Block was exploring Long Island Sound, Captain John Smith was visit- 
ing the bays and coasts of Maine and Massachusetts. And about the 
very time that the States-General were granting the above charter, the 
Crown Prince of England was confirming the name "New England," 
which Smith had given to the territories north of Cape Cod. 

Block never revisited this country, where he holds an honorable place 
in the annals of its discovery, and where his name will ever be remem- 
bered as the first ship-builder. The enterprising Van Tweenhuvsen sent 
him north on a whaling voyage, as his services were esteemed more 
valuable in that direction. 

The merchant company were not slow to draw from their new posses- 
sions the largest returns. They fitted out several vessels for the Hudson 
or Mauritius River, and sent with them some of the shrewdest traders in 
Holland. They ordered Christiaensen to erect a trading-house, which lie 
did on an island a little below the present city of Albany. It was 
thirty-six feet long by twenty-six wide, and around it was raised a 
stockade fifty feet square, which was encircled by a moat eighteen feet 
wide, the whole being defended by two pieces of cannon, and eleven 
stone guns mounted on swivels. The post was called Fort Nassau, was 
garrisoned with twelve men, and placed under the command of Jacob 
Eelkens, who had a rare talent for making friends with the Indians. 
Christiaensen had scarcely completed his work, when he was murdered 
by one of the young chiefs whom he had taken to Holland three years 
before, thus finding a grave in the country to which he had made more 
successful voyages than any one man up to that time. 

In the early part of the spring, a building was erected on the lower 
point of Manhattan Island, to answer the double purpose of storehouse 
and fort. It was a small structure of logs, without any very practicable 
defences of any kind. A few huts sprung up around it after this wise. 
A square pit was dug in the ground, cellar fashion, six or seven feet deep 



THE FIRST FORT AT MANHATTAN. 4:5 

and from twelve to thirty feet long, floored with plank, and roofed with 
spars, bark and sods being added when necessary to exclude the cold. 
The traders lived usually in their ships, but it was found convenient to 
have a few men on shore to guard the warehouse, and to keep the furs 
gathered, ready for shipment to Holland. 

Thus two years passed. No event of any note happened until the 
spring of 1 < > 1 7 , when Fort Nassau was nearly washed away by a freshet 
on the breaking up of the ice on the Hudson River. The traders 
desired to remain in the vicinity of this great eastern terminus of 
the Indian thoroughfare, and built a new fort on an eminence, which the 
Mohawks called Twass-gimshe, near the mouth of the Twasentha River. 
Soon after taking possession of these new quarters, a formal treaty was 
concluded with the chiefs of the Five Nations. The ceremonies were 
imposing, each dusky tribe having an ambassador present. The pipe of 
peace was smoked and the hatchet buried, the Dutch agreeing to build a 
church over the instrument of death, so that to exhume it would be to 
overturn the sacred edifice. It was a politic movement on the part of 
the Dutch, for they thus secured the quiet possession of the Indian trade 
to the filling of their coffers, while the Indians were well satisfied, for 
they had learned the use of fire-arms from the French, and were now 
eager to get them and maintain their supremacy over the neighboring 
tribes. 

On the 1st of January, 1618, the trading charter expired by its own 
limitation, and, when the associated merchants tried to renew it, the 
States-General only consented to give a special license to trade at 
New Netherland from year to year. The Dutch Republic was 
once more in commotion from centre to circumference, and the West 
India Company was the chief point at issue. Since the ministers of 
state were unable to prophesy probable results, they were careful not to 
involve themselves in American affairs. Fsselinex had been quietly at 
work since 1609, and, although he was well aware that the establishment 
of the desired company must necessarily be postponed until the expiration 
of the truce, yet there were many obstacles to be removed, and, in his 
judgment, it was none too early to lie taking the preliminary steps In 
all his movements he was effectually aided by Maurice, Prince of Orange. 

The outward shape of the strife was religious. A theological battle 
was in progress between Arniinianism and strict Calvinism. A con- 
spiracy against Barneveld was rapidly approaching its crisis. He was 
a liberal Christian, and had all his life advocated religious toleration. 
The Belgians called him " Pope John." They charged him with being a 
traitor bought with Spanish gold. Poisonous pamphlets appeared day 



44 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

after day, until there was hardly a crime in the calendar that was not 
laid at his door. It was a horrible personal assault upon the venerable 
statesman who had successfully guided the counsels of the infant com- 
monwealth at a period when most of his accusers were in their cradles, 
and when mistake would have been ruin to the Republic. He stood in 
the way of the formation of the West India Company, and the Belgians 
were determined to get rid of him. Prince Maurice was an ambitious 
general, and although Barneveld had been the first to elevate him to 
his father's position as Stadtholder, and inspire the whole country with 
respect for his military skill and leadership, yet the truce with Spain 
deprived him of a large share of his authority and influence, and he felt 
himself so thwarted by the power of the patriotic advocate, that he 
helped to organize the campaign against him, making no secret of his 
hatred, and determination to crush him from off" the face of the earth. 

At last the Advocate was arrested by the order of Maurice, and 
closely confined in one of the apartments of the Prince. The shower of 

pamphlets and lampoons and libels began afresh, filled with dark 
ug " ' allusions to horrible discoveries and promised revelations. Even 
the relatives of the fallen statesman could not appear in the streets with- 
out being exposed to insult, and without hearing all manner of obscene 
verses and scurrilous taunts howled in their ears. The clergy upheld 
Maurice, because, having been excluded from political office, they were in 
active opposition to the civil authorities. They helped to spread the 
story that Spain had bribed Barneveld to bring about the truce and 
kill the West India Company ; and also that the Advocate had plotted 
to sell the whole country and drive Maurice into exile. The nobles, the 
states, the municipal governments, and every man who dared defend 
Barneveld, were libeled and accused of being stipendiaries of Spain. 
The war waxed so serious that soldiers were kept constantly on duty to 
prevent bloodshed in the streets. And at this critical moment, the weak 
king of England inflamed the mischief by personal intermeddling. 

The National Synod of Dordrecht was finally appointed, and 

foreign churches invited to send delegates. It came together on 
the 13th of November, 1618, and sat for more than seven months, at a 
cost to the Republic of a million of guilders. It resulted in a Calvinist 
victory, the Arminians being pronounced " innovators, rebellious, leaders 
of faction, teachers of false doctrine, and disturbers of church and nation." 

The president said, in his address to the foreign members at the 

1619. r ° 

close of the session, that " the marvelous labors of the Synod had 
ay ' made hell tremble." 
Meanwhile, Barneveld had been for several months confined in a 



JOHX OF BARNEVELITS EXECUTION. 45 

dreary garret room, arid kept in complete ignorance of even the most 
insignificant every-day events. On the 18th of March he was brought 
to trial, but not permitted the help of lawyer, clerk, or man of 
business. His papers and bonks were denied him, also pen, ink. 
and writing materials. He made his own defence with indignant elo- 
quence, but it availed him nothing. Four days after the termination of 
the Synod, on the morning of the L3th of May, the majestic old 
man was led into the vast hall, which had so often in other days ay 
rung with the sounds of mirth and revelry, and received the sentence of 
death. Then he was taken to a scaffold in the hollow square in front 
of the ancient palace, and beheaded. He was within five months of the 
completion of his seventy-second year. His property was confiscated to 
the state, and his proud and prosperous family reduced to beggary. 

His principal adherents were imprisoned for life. Hugh Grotius, who 
was a powerful opponent to the prospective West India Company, was 
sent to the Castle of Loevenstein, which stood on an island formed by the 
Waal and the Meuse. He was an illustrious Dutch jurist and author, 
and influenced a large class of people who were not directly involved in 
the theological controversy. He was so closely guarded in his prison for 
a time, that not even his father or his wife were allowed an interview 
with him. His wife at last obtained permission to share his fate. In 
her society and in close study he passed two years, during which time he 
wrote some very important works. His wife had been in the habit of 
receiving books in a large chest, and, finding that the, guards had grown 
somewhat careless in its examination, she ingeniously managed one morn- 
ing to have Grotius carried out in it. He disguised himself as a mason, 
and with trowel and rule made his escape to Antwerp. He afterward 
took up Ins abode in Paris, and was protected by the French government. 

Immediately after the removal of the chief antagonist, Usselini \ 
started a subscription list for the West India Company, but it was 
filled out slowly. The States-General were unwilling that a foreign 
element should create to itself so mighty an arm. They had no sym- 
pathy with its grand purpose, which was to combat and worry Spain, and 
gather its recompense from the spoils. The East India Company openly 
and persistently opposed the whole project. For a year scarcelj any 
progress was made. Finally the English unwittingly added the 
straw which was to turn the scale. They had taken cognizance 
of the Dutch traffic on the Hudson River, and instructed their minister 
at the Hague to remind the States-General of the patent which James I. 
granted to the Plymouth and London companies, and of its broad juris- 
diction. He was also directed to warn the Dutch statesmen of the 



46 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF XEW YORK. 

impropriety of their permitting Dutch vessels to visit English coasts for 
purposes of traffic. There was an animated diplomatic correspondence 
on the subject, each government trying to define its own position, and 
justify its own acts, and establish its own rights. But no definite results 
were attained, save that the States-General were sharp-sighted enough to 
pvex that the only power by which they could possibly hold New 
Netherland was absolute possession. In the newly drafted constitution 
of the West India Company was a clause by which the corporation 
would be obligated to people the so-called Dutch territory of North 
America. The prospective company, therefore, was suddenly regarded 
with less disfavor. In a few weeks it received decided and direct 
encouragement from the Dutch government : and, after many birth- 
throes, it became an accomplished fact. 

Probably no private corporation was ever invested with such 
enormous powers. But the right to the vast and valuable lands 
in America, with which it was endowed by the States-General, was not 
legally estabbshed, and was the seed for a bountiful harvest of discontent. 
The company was organized into almost a distinct and separate govern- 
ment. It might make contracts and alliances with the princes and the 
natives comprehended within the limits of its charter. It might build 
forts. It might appoint and discharge governors, soldiers, and public 
officers. It might administer justice. It might take any step which 
seemed desirable for the promotion of trade. And its admirals on dis- 
tant seas were empowered to act independently of administration. It 
was required, it is true, to communicate with the States-General from time 
to time of its treaties and alliances, and to furnish detailed statements of 
its torts and settlements, and to submit to their high mightinesses for 
approval, all instructions for prominent officials, and apply to them for 
high commissions. It took upon itself, however, — and without properly 
appreciating the magnitude of the undertaking, — one of the greatest of 
public burdens, the naval war against a powerful enemy, and assumed at 
i nice a thoroughly dangerous position. Warfare is always so manifestly 
unprofitable, that to undertake it without the aid of government, in any 
event, is sheer folly. " Needful assistance " was promised, but the com- 
pany soon found that they had no means of enforcing the fulfilment of 
such a promise. And to increase their future difficulties, the Barneveld 
party recovered strength, and, in course of years, found in the De Witts 
even more powerful leaders than Barneveld himself had been. 

The West India Company was modelled after the East India Company. 
It was guaranteed the trade of the American and African shores of the 
Atlantic, precisely as the East India Company had been granted the 



THE WEST 1X1)1 A COMPANY. 



47 



right to send ships to Asia, to the exclusion of the other inhabitants of the 
Dutch provinces. It was divided, like the East India Company, into 
five chambers, or boards, which were located in the five cities of Amster- 
dam, the Meuse, North Holland, Zealand, and Friesland. Each of these 
chambers was a separate society, with members, directors, and vessels of 
its own. The capital of the company was six million florins, — about 
S 2,500,000. This sum, however, was not divided equally Vietween the 
five chambers, but Amsterdam had four ninths ; Zealand, two ninths ; and 
each of the other three chambers, one ninth. In nearly the same pro- 
portion was the representation in the general committee of nineteen 
directors who conducted the common affairs of the company, and were 
called the "College of the XIX." 1 They adopted the democratic prin- 




m 



ciples of the Belgians, and accorded to the shareholders a voice in all 
important proceedings, which was a constant reproach to the East India 
Company, and created no inconsiderable amount of slanderous mis- 
representation and cavil. 

As soon as the provisional existence of the company had become a 
permanent one, there was a change in the tone of public sentiment. 
Those who had used their pens with the utmost virulence to prevent its 
accomplishment, turned about and declared it to be the first move on the 
direct road to national prosperity. Its final organization was delayed two 

1 charter at length, in Oroot, Placaai Book, I. 566 ; Hazard. ];<;>,]!,, ,i,l : l.n 
Dt Lael : Doc. History of X. Y. : O'Callaghan; Biographical and Historical Ess* 
r>,.f,-/, Books and Pamphlets, by G. JI. Asher, IX. D. 



48 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

years longer ; during which time two questions occupied the minds of all 
interested parties. " Shall the Guinea trade and the salt trade he integral 
parts of the patent of the company ? " The affirmative gained the day. 
Then arose pecuniary complications. The opposition of the East India 
Company had created a panic in regard to the credit and character of the 
new company, and the directors were not able to collect a sufficient 
amount of capital to commence operations until they had twice declared 
the list of subscribers closed. The original charter was also twice ampli- 
fied in certain points of detail, and articles of internal improvement 
adopted. It was formally approved by the States-General on the 21st of 
June, 1623. 

The extraordinary company struck out boldly. Its fleets often 
numbered as many as seventy armed vessels each. It seemed 
destined to humble Spain, whether it suppressed or promoted piracy. It 
met with many brilliant successes. Prizes were captured of such value, 
that, during the first few years, the shareholders received from twenty- 
five to seventy-five per cent upon their investments. Although the 
six millions of capital had been brought together with difficulty, twelve 
millions were easily added. The first ten years of its existence were 
marked by three events of historic importance, — the taking of Bahia 
in 1G24; the capture in 1628 of the Silver fleet, which consisted of 
large armed transports conveying silver and gold from the South Ameri- 
can mines to Spain; and the conquest of Pernambuco in 1630: all of 
which are fondly remembered in Holland. But its history might have 
been foretold. There were defects in its organization which rendered it 
unable to establish a thriving commerce or flourishing settlements. And 
the possessions which it obtained were never governed properly. 

Within a month after its incorporation, three ships were sent to the 
"West Indies, and an armed expedition dispatched for an attack upon 
Brazil. New Netherland received only such attention 
as was necessary to satisfy the States-General that it 
would ultimately be colonized, according to contract, by 
the company. New Netherland affairs were intrusted to 
the Amsterdam Chamber. The treasure was sufficient to 
have enriched them if they had known how to develop 
its valuable trade and fertile lands. They blundered, 
as bodies of men with more light and wider experience 
have been continually blundering ever since their time. 
They desired to make money in some more swift and 
easy manner, and failed to put their efforts in the right 
Flag of west India pi ace . They however erected the indefinite territory 




THE AMSTERDAM CHAMBER. 49 

into a province, with a grant from the States-General of the armorial dis- 
tinctions of a count. The seal was a shield bearing a beaver proper, 
surmounted by a count's coronet, encircled by the winds " SldiLLUM Novi 
Belgi." 

The directors of the Amsterdam Chamber were John De Laet, the his- 
torian, Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, Michael Pauw, Peter Evertsen Hult't, 
Jonas Witsen, Hendrick Hamel, Samuel Godyn, and Samuel Blommaert. 
They were all men of wealth and education. But they were none of 
them very deeply interested in the wild Indian country. However, they 
took measures to secure a party of Protestant Walloons, to send over to 
their new possessions. These people were that portion of the Belgians who 
were of Celtic origin, and were ingenious as well as I nave and industrious. 
They had applied the year before to the English for permission to emi- 
grate to Virginia, but the conditions offered by the Virginia Company 
had been such that they had seen tit to decline them. A ship 
called the New Netherland, commanded by Captain May, con- 
veyed thirty of these families to our shores. They brought with them 
a knowledge of the arts in which they were proficient, and were dis- 
tinguished for their extraordinary persistence in overcoming difficulties. 
A young man by the name of Dobbs was one of the passengers in this 
vessel. He was the ancestor of a Luge and influential family, among 
whom was Dr. Benjamin P. Aydelott, a well-known physician in the time 
of Dr. Hosack and Dr. Francis. Upon their arrival, two families and six 
men were sent to the great Fresh River, and the remainder proceeded to 
the fort on the Hudson River, excepting eight of the men, who remained 
at Manhattan. A new fort was immediately projected on the alluvial soil 
now occupied by the business portion of Albany, and called Fort < frange, 
in honor of Maurice, who was greatly beloved by the Belgians. 

About the same time preparations were made foT occupying the genial 
valley of the South or Delaware Fiver. A few traders selected a spot on 
its east bank, near the present town of Gloucester, in New Jersey, and 
built a fort which they called Fort Nassau. Later in the season other 
vessels came from Holland, bringing settlers, and about eighteen persons 
were added to the colony at Albany. Adrian Juris, the second to < laptain 
May in command, sent his vessel to Holland in charge of his son, and 
stayed with them all winter. Eelkens was arrested in January tor im- 
prisoning a Secpain chief on board Ins yacht, and Peter Barentsen was 
made commander of the post in his place. 

The income from the fur-trade of New Netherland during that 

ttt 1685. 

first year amounted to twenty-eight thousand guilders. The West 
India Company, who were already elated with their victories in Brazil, 
4 



50 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

were gratified, and began to discuss the project of building a town upon 
Manhattan Island, which was represented as a point of great natural 
beauty, and favorably located for commerce. To test the disposition of 
adventurers, they publicly offered inducements to such as might wish 
to emigrate to America. Volunteers were not wanting in populous 
Holland, and three large ships were soon freighted, also one fast sail- 
ing yacht. Six entire families and several single men, forty-five per- 
sons in all, with household furniture, farming utensils, and one hundred 
and three head of cattle, were conveyed to Manhattan. One of the 
party, William Verhulst, succeeded Captain May in the government, as 
the latter was suddenly called to Holland on important private business. 

The year 1625 was marked by two important European events which 
had a direct bearing upon the future prospects of New Netherland. The 
first was the death of the accomplished Maurice, at the Hague. In him 
the West India Company lost one of their most zealous and influential 
champions, and the national army their commander-in-chief. The 
office of Stadtholder was conferred upon Frederick Henry, who excelled 
the military Maurice in political capacity, and succeeded him as Prince 
of Orange. 

The other event was the death of James I. of England, and the conse- 
quent accession of Charles I. to the throne. England was already at war 
with Spain. James had been exasperated at the failure of his projects in 
relation to the marriage of Charles with the Infanta, Donna Maria, who 
subsequently became the wife of the Emperor of Germany. He had 
been plunged into hostilities, which the resources of England were illy 
able to sustain, and Charles had no sooner taken the scepter in his hand 
than he commenced negotiating an alliance with the Dutch Republic 
against the common enemy. Meanwhile he married Henrietta Maria, 
daughter of Henry IV. of France. She came to England with a train of 
Eoman Catholic priests and attendants, which quickly stirred the English 
people into a commotion, and intensified the hatred which they bore 
towards Roman Catholic queens. Charles was a monarch of elegant, 
gentleman-like tastes, of dignified manners, and of great obstinacy of 
purpose. He could not apparently conceive of any obligation on the 
part of a king to his subjects. He set himself deliberately at work, 
in defiance of all law, to introduce into his own country the system of 
government which prevailed in France. He had not by any means the 
wretched excuse of a wife's influence. Henrietta had indeed refused to 
be crowned, lest she should join in the rites of the Church of England. 
But she was a mere child in years, totally uncultivated, and ignorant 
of the language and history of her husband's country, and knew nothing 



THE MARRIAGE OF CHARLES I. 51 

whatever about the Anglican religion. She had been not only betrothed, 
but married to diaries by proxy. The Duke de Chevreuse, a near kins- 
man of the king, acted in that capacity. At the ceremony, which took 
place in the porch of Notre Dame, he was attired in black velvet, and 
wore a scarf flowered with diamond roses. The bride wore a magnifi- 
cent white satin robe, threaded with gold and silver, and flowered witli 
French lilies in gems and diamonds. The Queen mother, Marie de 
Medicis, shone like a pillar of precious stones, and her long train was 
1m une by two princes of the blood, Conde and Couti. But out of respect 
to the religious feelings of Charles, the English ambassadors, and even 
the proxy himself, withdrew from the Notre Dame during the concluding 
mass. The cortege of the bride landed at Dover, June 23d, just after 
sunset. At ten the next morning the king arrived while Henrietta was 
breakfasting. She rose from the table, hastily, ami ran down ;i pair 
of stairs to greet him, and ottered to kneel and kiss his hand ; but lie was 
too full of gallantry to permit her to do so, and caught her in his arms 
and folded her to his heart with many loving caresses. She had been 
taught to say, " Sir, I have come to your Majesty's country to be com- 
manded by you," but the set speech failed her, ami she burst into 
tears. Charles became very loud of her and took great .pride in her 
beauty and musical powers, but he never discussed matters of state with 
her. Pope Urban VIII. was exceedingly averse to the marriage. He 
said, " If the Stuart king relaxes the. bloody penal laws against the. Roman 
Catholics, the English will not suffer him to live long! If those laws 
are continued, what happiness can the French princess have in her 
wedlock?" These words were prophetic, as we shall see in future 
chapters. 

Finally, through much astute diplomacy, the treaty of alliance, offen- 
sive and defensive, was concluded between England and the United 
Netherlands ; each nation agreeing to furnish fleets for the purpose of 
destroying the Spanish commerce in the East Indies. 1 It was also stipu- 
lated that the war and merchant vessels of the two countries should he 
free to enter the ports of each other. One of the first-fruits of this new 
relationship 2 was a meeting of the West India Company for the transac- 
tion of special business. The moment had arrived when the colonization 
of New Netherland might be attempted without probable English inter- 

1 Corps Dip., Vol. II. 458, 478. Clarendon State Papers, I. 41, 53. Aitzema, I. 671, 1226. 
Lon. Doc, 1. 36. 

- Al »nut the middle of October, King Charles sent the Duke of Buckingham and (lie Karl 
of Holland as ambassadors extraordinary to the States-General to negotiate a still closer 
alliance. Wassenaar, XII. :.'.!• ; XVI. 13. /<■ laet. Doc. Hist. N. Y., III. 46, 47. 



52 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

ference. A system of government for the new province was considered, 
and various plans discussed for inducing settlers to emigrate across 
the Atlantic. A governor was named, and three weeks later received 
his appointment. It was Peter Minuet, of Wesel, in the kingdom of 
Westphalia, He sailed from Amsterdam in December, in the ship Sea 
Mew, Captain Adrian Joris, and arrived at Manhattan on the 4th of the 
following May (1626). 1 

1 Leonard Kool came to New Nctherland in tin." Ski Mi i<\ as private secretary for Peter 
Minuet. His name may now be found attached to grants of land in connection with that of 
the governor. He was the ancestor of the Cole family in this State ; the orthography of the 
name having passed through a variety of phases. Rev. David Cole's genealogical tree. 




Landing of the Walloons at Albany. 



PETER MINUET. 53 



CHAPTER IV. 



PURCHASE OF THE SITE OF NEW YORK. 

Peter Minuet. — The First Buildings. —The Hokse-Mill. —The First Girl borx 
in New Netherland. — Diplomatic Correspondence. — The Embassy to Plym- 
outh. — New Netherland not a Pecuniary Success. — The Charter of Free- 
dom and Exemptions. — The Manorial Lords. — Kiliaen Van Rensselaer. — The 
Van Rensselaer Manor-House. — The Great Ship. — Governor Minuet and 
Recall. — Wrangling among the Directors of the Company. 

THE rocky point of Manhattan Island, near what is now known as 
the Battery, was, on the 6th of May, 1626, the scene of one of the 
must interesting business transactions which has ever occurred lfi .> 6 
in the world's history. It was the purchase of the site of the May6. 
city of New York. The West India Company had instructed Peter 
Minuet to treat with the Indians for their hunting-grounds, before he 
took any steps towards the erection of buildings. He accordingly made 
a somewhat superficial survey of the island, which had been designated 
as the field for pioneer operations, and estimated itsareaat aboul twenty- 
two thousand acres. 1 He then called together some of the principal 
Indian chiefs, and offered beads, buttons, and other trinkets in exchange 
for their real estate. They accepted the terms with unfeigned delight, 
and the bargain was closed at once. The value of the baubles which 
secured the title to the whole of Manhattan Island was about sixty 
guilders, equal in our currency to twenty-tour dollars. On the pari of 
the Dutch, it was merely a politic measure to establish future amicable 
relations with the natives of the country, although it was subsequently 
made the basis of the company's claim to the territory. It was. in 
itself, a commonplace event; but, in its relation to what has since taken 
place, it assumes peculiar significance, and stands out in immortal char- 

1 In Dutch phraseology " it was eleven thousand morgens in size." The Rhineland rod 
was the Dutch measure for land. It contained twelve English feet four and three fourths 
inches. There are five rods to a Dutch chain, and ^ix hundred square Dutch rods constitute 
a morgen. Peter Fauconnier s Survey Book, 1715 - 1731. 



54 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

acters as the chief starting-point of the_ great commercial capital of the 
west. 

Governor Minuet was a man of rare energy and fully equal to the 
situation. He had had some East Indian experience, and, during the last 
two years, had spent several months in South America. He was of mid- 
dle age, hair slightly flecked with gray, a somewhat dull black eye, and 
a full-sized robust frame. He was permeated with the spirit of adven- 
ture, without being hampered with habits of luxury and indolence, 
like his Virginia contemporaries. He was brusque, and coarse, and 
self-willed, but kind-hearted, and was admirably successful in winning 
the confidence of the Indians. His duties were midtifarious, but not 
remarkably difficult, since the people to rule over were few in numbers 
and obediently disposed. 

He organized the government of the province as soon as he had 
obtained the title deed to Manhattan Island. The supreme authority, 
executive, legislative, and judicial, had been vested in him by the com- 
pany, with an advisory council of five of the best men in the colony. 
These were Peter Byvelt, Jacob Ellertsen Wissinck, Jan Jausen Brouwer, 
Simon Dircksen Pos, and Beynert Harmenssen. He was empowered 
with the administration of justice, except in capital cases, when 
the offender, after being convicted, must be sent with his sentence 
to Holland. The secretary of the council board, and also of the prov- 
ince, was Isaac De Easiers, a well-educated young Hollander who 
arrived in the same vessel with Minuet. After him, in order of position, 
was the Sellout- Fiscal, a sort of civil factotum, half sheriff and half 
attorney-general, and the special custom-house officer. Jan Lampo, 
of Cantleburg, received the appointment ; but he knew very little of 
law, and was very inefficient in every particular. He was allowed to sit 
in the council during its deliberations, but had no voice in official 
proceeding's. His compensation was in the civil fines and penalties, 
and such portion of criminal fines and confiscated wages as the governor 
and council after prosecution might see fit to bestow upon him. He had 
no part in captured prizes, and was forbidden to receive presents under 
any circumstances. 

Minuet brought over with him a competent engineer, Kryn Fredrick, 
who was to superintend the construction of a fort, that being wisely 
deemed the first business to be dispatched. It did not take long to dis- 
cover a triangular spot of earth hemmed in by ledges of rock, as if 
modelled by Nature herself for a fortress. It had a commanding view of 
the Bay and Narrows, and was but a short distance from the water's edge. 
This was chosen ; but when the work was accomplished it reflected no 



THE FIRST BUILDINGS. 



55 



remarkable credit upon its projectors, except so far as it responded to 
their immediate necessities, for it was simply a block-house with red- 
cedar palisades. 

About the same time was erected a warehouse of Manhattan stone, 
having a runt' thatched with reeds. It was primitive even to ugliness, 
without one redeeming touch of architectural finish, but we honor it as 
the pioneer of all the present long miles of costly business edifices. One 
corner of it was set apart as the village store, and was the depot of sup- 




The First Warehouse. 



plies for the colony. It grew erelong to be much haunted by the Indians, 
who came to sell their furs and drink the " white man's tire-water." 

In the course of a few weeks several vessels arrived from Holland, 
each laden with passengers. The population of the island was thus 
increased to nearly two hundred; thirty or more cheap dwellings were 
built around the fort, and the prospect was animated and encouraging. 
Governor Minuet, Secretary De Easiers, and Sheriff Lampo occupied 
a habitation together for nearly three years. Negro servants performed 
the labor of the household. 

The most notable building, as well as one of the most useful, 

June. 

which was speedily erected, was a horse-mill. It was located on 
what is now South William Street, near Pearl. The loft was furnished 
with a few rough seats and appropriated to the purposes of religious 
worship. Thus we may observe that, while the settlement of the prov- 
ince had been undertaken with no higher aim than commercial specu- 
lation, the moral and spiritual necessities of its people were not entirely 
overlooked. Two " comforters of the sick " had been sent over with the 
governor, and it was among their specified duties to read the Bible and 
lead in devotional exercises every Sabbath morning. Two years later, the 



56 HISTOBY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

learned and energetic Jonas Michaelius was employed to officiate at 
religious meetings and instruct the children. He was a warm personal 
friend of Governor Minuet, and exerted a very wholesome influence 
in the community. 

An event occurred late in the autumn which, from its sad consecpiences, 
deserves special mention. A Weekquaesgeek Indian came from West 
Chester, accompanied by his young nephew, to sell beaver-skins to the 
Dutch. When near the Fresh Water Pond, he was met by three of the 
governor's negro servants, who seized and robbed, and then murdered 
him. The boy witnessed the scene and ran away, vowing vengeance. 
He grew up to manhood, cherishing the terrible oath in his heart, and 
many long years afterward carried into execution his Indian ideas of 
justice. The murder was concealed from the authorities, and the mur- 
derers escaped punishment. 

The fur-trade was so prosperous that the company were quite elated 

with their operations upon Manhattan Island. Perhaps the reader 

will be grateful for a glimpse of this remarkable commerce, as pictured 

in a leter from Peter Sckasren of Amsterdam, dated November 5, 

Nov. 5. ° 

1626, in which he announces to the company the arrival of the 
ship Arms of Amsterdam, direct from New Netherland. He writes : — 

" They had all their grain sowed by the middle of May, and reaped by the 
middle of August. Our people are in good heart and live in peace there. They 
send thence samples of summer grain : such as wheat, rye, barley, oats, buck- 
wheat, canary -seed, beans, and flax. The cargo of the aforesaid ship is : — 
7,246 beaver-skins. 36 wild-cat skins. 

178^ otter-skins. 33 minck-skins. 

675 otter-skins. 34 rat-skins. 

48 minck-skins. Mucli oak and hickory timbers." 

The same letter contains a record of the birth of the first girl in New 
Netherland, — Sarah Eapaelje, daughter of Jan Joris Rapaelje, born June 
9, 1625. 1 

1 There have been various statements in regard to the residence of Rapaelje at the time of 
the birth of Sarah. But the depositions of his wife, Catelina Trieo, made in New York before 
Governor Dongan, the year prior to her death, establish the time of her arrival in this country 
and her first residence. Doc. Hist. N. Y., III. 49-51. They went first to live at Fort 
Orange, Albany, where they remained three years, and where Sarah, the "first-bom Christian 
dmightcr in New Netherland," was born. They afterwards removed to Manhattan, and from 
thence to the Waleboght on Long Island. The age of Catelina Trico, at the time her deposi- 
tions were taken, was eighty-three years. She stated that she came to this country in 1623 
or 1624, in a ship called the Unity or Eendraijt, commanded by Adraen Joris, and that there 
were four women came along with her who were married on shipboard. Wassenaer, whose 



DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE. 57 

The Dutch were by no means ignorant of their near proximity to the 
English settlement at Plymouth, and after a while began to discuss 1637. 
the propriety of establishing friendly intercourse with their neigh- Ma 
bors. Minuet wrote two letters to the governor of Plymouth, oni in 
Dutch and the other in English, which contained the most polite exi 
sions of good-will, and an offer of various kinds of goods in exchange nr 
beaver and otter skins and other wares. 

A courteous response came promptly from Governor Bradford. 
He assured Governor Minuet that for the current year they -were 
fully supplied with necessaries, but would trade at some future time 
should the rates be reasonable. He took care, however, to throw out some 
very marked hints on the questionable propriety of the Dutch traffic 
with the Indians within the limits of the king's patent. After writing it 
in English, he translated his letter into the Dutch language, and sent 
both copies. 

Governor Minuet wrote again in August, His language was 
expressed in the same general friendly terms, but he firmly main- 
tained the right to trade in the disputed localities, quoting the States- 
General and Prince of Orange as authority. As an evidence, I ham 
of continued good feeling, he sent to Governor Bradford "a rund 
sugar and two Holland cheeses." 

Governor Bradford replied with great apparent deference of 

1 ■ 1 1 Aug. 24. 

manner, only deprecating the "oyer-high titles" which Dutch 
politeness required, but which Puritan usage rejected, and repented his 
warning respecting the boundary question, requesting that a commissioner 
be sent to confer personally in the case. 3 

The secretary, Isaac De Rasiers, was accordingly dispatched as 
ambassador extraordinary to Plymouth. He was a man of Hue 
address and pleasing manners, and in other respects well fitted for this 
mission, which was of as much importance in those primitive days 

account was contemporaneous, calls the ship the New Nethi rland. Sarah Rapaelje, who 
birth to fourteen children, was the maternal ancestor of several of the most notable fan 
of King's County. At the age of twenty-nine she was the widow of Hans Hansen Bergen, the 
ancestor of the Bergen family, with seven children. She afterwards married Theuni 
Bogaert, the ancestor of the Bogaert family in this country. Some travelers in 1679 vi: ed 
Catelina Trico,who lived " in a little house by herself, with a garden and other convenieni 
and evidently regarded her as a distinguished historical personage. Long Island It 
Coll., Vol. I. 342. It will he observed, that the statement calling her daughter Sarah 
first-born Christian daughter in New Netherland," does not conflict with the statemen of 
JeanVigne, that he was the first male born of European parents in this province. 

1 Bradford's correspondence in N. Y. H. S. Coll., I. (Second Series), 355, 360. 
Mem. of Plymouth, I. 146, 147. Prince, N. E. Chron., 249. Mass. ETisl.Coll., III. 51. 
Morton's Memorial, 133. Moulton, 37S. 



58 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the more stately embassies are at the present time. The bark Nassau 
was brushed up and freighted with a few articles of trade, and manned by 
a retinue of soldiers and trumpeters. Early in October he arrived 
' at Manomet, the advanced post of the English colony, near an 
Indian village at the head of Buzzard's Bay, the site of the present village 
of Monument, in the town of Sandwich, and from there he dispatched 
a courier to Plymouth to announce his presence in the neighborhood. 
Governor Bradford immediately sent a boat for him and his cargo, and he 
was escorted with n. ny and imposing ceremonies to the town. 1 He was 
pleasantly entertained for several days, and sold a large quantity of Indian 
corn, which enabled the English to better carry on their lucrative trade 
with the natives. He established a- commercial relation, which, but for 
the subsequent petty quarrels, might have been mutually advantageous 
to the two lone European colonies. It is interesting to know that the 
whole tonnage of New England then consisted of " a bass-boat, shal- 
lop, and pinnace." 2 

When he returned to Manhattan, De Basiers brought another letter 
from Bradford to Minuet, in which, saving always their allegiance to the 
king of England, he pledged the performance by his colony of all good 
offices toward the Dutch in New Netherland. 

Just about that time, the commander at Fort Orange committed a ter- 
rible blunder, whereby he not only lost his own life, but imperded the 
lives of all the settlers in that region. He joined a party of Mohicans 
on the war-path against the Mohawks, which was in disobedience of 
orders, for the Dutch were pledged to principles of neutrality in reference 
to all differences among the Indian tribes. In the battle which fol- 
lowed he was killed, also three of his men. 

His folly was particularly felt in the sense of insecurity which 
it threw over the colony ; and Minuet, although he succeeded 
in restoring good feeling with the Mohawks, deemed concentration a 
necessary policy, and recalled the families from the exposed points, Fort 
Orange, Fort Nassau, and Verhulsten Island, to Manhattan, where they 
could be better protected in their interests as well as their homes. Six- 
teen soldiers only were left at Fort Orange, and the traffic to the South 
Eiver was limited to the voyages of one small yacht for the present. 

The crop of furs in 1628, amounting to four ship-loads, yielded fifty- 
six thousand gudders ; and two cargoes of ship-timber from Manhattan 

1 Winslow's account in Young's Chronicles, 306. Prince, 208. Book of Court Orders, Vol. 
III. 82. Pilgrim Memorials, 122-124. 

2 De Hosiers' Letter, 350. Bradford's Letter Book, 364. 



THE CHARTER OF FREEDOMS AND EXEMPTIONS. 59 



Island sold at Amsterdam for sixty-one thousand guilders. But, after all, 
the New Netherland colony was aot self-supporting. None of the soil 
was reclaimed, save what supplied the wants of a few farmers and their 
families; and the only exports were the spontaneous productions of the 
forest. The mode of life pursued by tin 1 people was irregular, and the 
current expenses of the plantation more than the receipts. It was an 
unpalatable tact. The company had won brilliant victories by sea, and 
infatuating wealth had poured into its treasury. Between 1626 and 
1628, it had captured one hundred and tour Spanish prizes. The nation 
shared in the glory, but the company alone received the spoils of this 
marvelous war. Its dividends were advanced suddenly to titi\ per cent 
Insignificant indeed, in eomparison, were the returns from New Nether- 
land. The very subject of North American trade became painfully unin- 
teresting, and the directors avoided allusions to it whenever possible. 
Finally, at one of their meetings a plan was introduced for a systematic 
and extended colonization of the whole province of New Netherland. 
It was discussed at several subsequent meetings, and resulted in a 
selfish commercial scheme, with a view to drawing private capitalists into 
the company's ventures. 

The scheme was a charter of Freedoms and Exemptions, ma- 1639. 
tured and adopted by the company, and confirmed by the States- June 7. 
General, on the 7th of June, 1627. It comprised thirty-one important 
articles, and was remarkable for 1 icing 
tinctured with the peculiar social 
ideas of that era, and of promising 
to transfer to America the most ob- 
jectionable features of the modern 
feudalism of Continental Europe 

It offered to any member of the 
West India Company who should 
found a colony of fifty adults in any 
portion of New Netherland, — except 
Manhattan Island, which was re- 
served to the company, — and satisfy 
the Indians for a tract of land not 
exceeding sixteen miles on one side 
or eight miles on both sides of a 
navigable river, and extending inland Dutch Wind M , Ns . 

indefinitely, the title of Patroon, or 

feudal chief of such colony or territory; and the colonists under such 
patroonships were to be for ten years entirely free from taxation, but would 



"■-,. 




60 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

be bound to the patroon in almost absolute servitude. The chief him- 
self \v<>uld be invested with fuU property rights, and granted freedom in 
trade, — except furs, which the company reserved to themselves, — with 
sundry and various limitations, restrictions, and duties, and the privilege 
of hunting and fishing within his own domain. The company prohibited 
manufactures under penalty of the law, but promised protection to the 
colonists and defence against all enemies ; the completion of a suitable 
citadel on Manhattan Island; and a supply of negro servants. Each 
patroon was required to provide, immediately, for the support of a min- 
ister and schoolmaster, and to make an annual return of the condition of 
his colony to the local authorities at Manhattan, for transmission to the 
company. In all its provisions, the charter carefully recognized the com- 
mercial monopoly and political supremacy of the West India Company, 
and was in harmony with the aristocratic sentiment which grew with the 
acquisition of wealth in Holland. Almost all the real estate there, out- 
side the walls of the towns, was in possession of old families of the 
nobility, who were unwilling to part with any portion of it. In the 
wonderful new country it was very apparent that a man might become 
an extensive landholder and a person of importance with compara- 
tive ease. While the company thus made great show of caring for the 
rights of the aboriginal owners, and held out inducements of labor, capi- 
tal, religion, and education, it selfishly scattered the seeds of slavery and 
aristocracy. 

As might have been expected, there were men among the directors 
of the company who stood ready to seize upon the choicest localities, 
to the discouragement of independent emigrants for whom the charter 
was intended. Samuel Godyn and Samuel Blommaert, who had had 
agents prospecting for months, purchased through them a beautiful tract 
of land extending from Cape Henlopen thirty-two miles up the west 
shore of Delaware Bay, and opposite sixteen miles square, including 
i63o. Cape May. They called it SwaanendaeL The title was attested 
June, by Governor Minuet and his council at Manhattan, July 15, 1630, 
and is the only instrument in existence which bears the original signa- 
ture of that august body. 1 The purchase was actually effected on the 
1st day of June, 1629, seven days before the bill became a law, and was 
registered at Manhattan on the 19th of the same month. 

Kilien Van Bensselaer was one of the oldest and wealthiest of the 
directors. He had been for many years a pearl and diamond merchant, 

1 This original patent was found by Mr. Brodhead in the West India House, at Amster- 
dam, in 1841, and is now deposited in the secretary's office at Albany. It has the only sig- 
natures known to exist of Minuet and his council. Brodhead, I. 200. O'CallagTian, I. 122. 



KILIAEN VAN RENSSELAER. 61 

and had taken a very active part in the formation of the West India 
Company. Several of his own vessels had been placed at the disposal 
of the corporation, and he had twice advanced money to save its credit, 
and hasten its final organization. He was descended from a long line of 
honorable ancestors, and was himself an educated and refined gentle- 
man of the old scIk ml. Early in life he had married Hellegonda Van 
Bylet, by whom he had one son, Johannes. In 1627, he was married 
the second time, to Anna Van Wely, and by her he had four sons and 
four daughters. 1 In the mean time he had sent an agent to New 
Netherland, and traded with the Indians for land upon the west side 
of the Hudson River, from about twelve miles south of Albany to 
Smack's Island, "stretching two days into the interior." Soon after, 
he concluded the purchase of all the land on the east side of the same 
river, both north and south of Fort Orange, and " far into the wilderness." 
This great feudal estate included the entire territory comprised in the 
present counties of Albany. Columbia, and Rensselaer, and Mas named 
Reusselaerswick. Van Rensselaer himself remained in Holland, bul 
managed his affairs through a well-chosen director] His sons took up 
their abode here after his death, and were successive lords of the 
colony. Jeremias 2 married Maria, daughter of Oloff S. Van Cortland! ; 
and Nicolaus married Alida Schuyler. The Van Rensselaer name has 
been handed down to us through every generation of men who have 
since had their day in New York, and is interwoven with all that is 
historical in city and State. The family brought with them the social 
distinctions of the Fatherland. They brought massive and elaborately 
carved furniture, and large quantities of silver-plate which bore the 
family arms. They brought portraits of their ancestors, executed in a 

1 The names of the children of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer were : 1st, Johannes, who married 
his cousin, Elizabeth Van Twiller ; 2d, Maria ; 3d, Jeremias, who married Maria Van Cortland: ; 
4th, Hellegonda ; 5th, Jan Baptist, who married his cousin, Susan Van Wely ; 6th, Elenora ; 
7th, Susan, who married Jan De Lacourt ; 8th, Nicolaus, who married Alida Schuyler ; 
9th, Rickert, who married Anna Van Beaumont. 

2 Jeremias Van Rensselaer and Maria Van Cortlandt had a daughter Anna, who mar- 
ried her cousin, Kiliaen, the son of Johannes Van Rensselaer. He died shortly after, 
and she was married the second time to William Nicolls of New York. Her daughter 
Mary, in 1713, became the wife of Robert Watts, the ancestor of the Watts family in this 
country. Jeremias Van Rensselaer and Maria Van I'ortlandt had also a sou Kiliaen. 
who married his cousin, Maria Van Cortlandt, and who died in 1701, leaving sons, Jere- 
mias and Stephen, successive lords of the manor. Stephen died 1747. and left a son 
Stephen, who married Catharine Livingston, and died in 1769. The son of this last, 
was General Stephen Van Rensselaer, who was born in 17'i4, and who was lieutenant-gov- 
ernor of New York in 1795 and 1798. His first wife was Margaret Schuyler, and their son 
Stephen was the late patroon. His second wife was Cornelia Patterson, and they had nine 
children. The other branches of the Van Rensselaer family we shall refer to hereafter. 



62 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 




■'Vvf'A''^-'^ 



Van Rensselaer Ma 



superior manner for the period, and many original paintings. A manor- 
house was erected, which in its internal arrangement and finish was 
very similar to the Holland residence of the Van Rensselaers. There 
the lord resided among his tenantry, and maintained the same dignity 
and authority as the landed lords in Europe. 

Van Rensselaer had pe- 
culiar facilities for peopling 
his new dominion, and sent 
out his own ships with la- 
borers and emigrants and 
implements of husbandry. 
There was system in his 
management, and there was 
< irder and method in the en- 
t Ire regulation of the colony 
itself. Hence it was pros- 
perous, while the rest of the 
province was disturbed by 
taction, inefficient rulers, 
and Indian wars. 
About the same time that Rensselaerswick was founded, Michael Pauw 
purchased Staten Island, Hoboken, Paulus Hook, and the Jersey shore 
opposite Manhattan, extending inland a great distance. He gave it the 
pleasant-sounding name of Pavonia. He planted a little colony, which 
was called The Commune, and the point where they first settled is com- 
memorated by the present romantic little village of Communipauw. 

Thus three of the most important localities in the province were art- 
fully secured before the rest of the company were fairly awake. The 
storm of discontent which arose has scarcely been equalled in the history 
of private corporations. The new patroons were accused of fraud and 
double-dealing, and the quarrel assumed alarming proportions. There was 
an indignant denial of any endeavor to take an unfair advantage of the 
spirit of the charter, and, as a process of conciliation, other members of the 
company were taken into partnership) in the speculation. Van Rensselaer 
divided his purchase into five shares, retaining two for himself. He sold 
one to John De Laet, the historian, and two to Samuel Blommaert. 
Godyn and Blommaert divided their Delaware property with Van Rens- 
selaer, De Laet, and Captain David Pietersen De Vries. The latter had 
just returned from a three-years' voyage to the East Indies, where he had 
been engaged in several notable maritime enterprises. By request of the 
new firm, he took charge of an expedition to the Delaware, conveying 



THE GREAT SHIP. 63 

thither thirty settlers, with all the necessaries for the cultivation of tobaci o 
and urain. He landed them, directed in the work of preparing 
their fields, and not until their first seed was sown did he turn 
his face again to Holland. It was the purpose of these patroons to prose- 
cute the whale-fishery on the Delaware coast, copying after the French, 
who had made the business so lucrative in a more northern latitude. 

This matter of feudal estates took up the whole attention of the com- 
pany for a time. Manhattan Island was scarcely noticed, and improve- 
ments were entirely ignored The houses which were standing were 
only sufficient for the actual accommodation of the people; and, as we 
have seen, they were exceedingly simple in construction. The besl of 
them were of hewn plank, routed with reeds. Many were built entirely 
of bark. But few trees as yet were cut away, except for shipment to 
Holland Not a ridge was smoothed down, and only a few little patches 
of earth had been brought under cultivation. The fur-trade absorbed 
what there was of energy and Industry. 

It was soon found that the patroons were trading with the Indians 
independently of the corporation. Another quarrel ensued, this time 
more immediately among the directors of the Amsterdam Chamber. It 
was finally referred to the College of the XIX. The patroons were seli- 
willed and self-opinionated. They had enormous interests at stake, and 
they persisted in their right to the fur traffic, under a too liberal con- 
struction of the charter. Able lawyers were employed on both side-, 
and tin' dispute became SO violent that tor a long time bloodshed was 
apprehended. 

Meanwhile, two Belgian ship-builders visited Manhattan and tried their 
skill in converting some of the fine timber into an immense ship. Minuet 
encouraged them, and supplied them from the company's funds. They 
accomplished the undertaking ; and a vessel of eight hundred tons' burden, 
which carried thirty guns, was launched in New York Bay. It proved 
before it was finished more costly than hail been expected : and when thi' 
bills came before the directors of the company in Holland, the whole 
proceeding was severely criticised. The States-General regarded it as a 
sample of the bad management of the corporation. The shareholders 
grumbled because they were obliged to help pay tor such an exhibi- 
tion of folly. The press censured the Amsterdam Chamber in un- 
sparing terms ; and the people talked about the ship in their work- 
shops and stores, and speculated upon the wonderful trees in America. 
It was full two hundred years, however, before another vessel of 
such mammoth proportions was built in this country. Tin- tame o\ 
this extraordinary naval architecture was, as a matter of course, car- 



64 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

ried to the ends of the earth, and excited the envy of all the Euro- 
pean powers. And it paved the way for the States-General to enter 
into a rigid examination of the affairs of the West India Company. 
They decided against the patroons, who were accused of being vastly 
inure interested in filling their coffers with the proceeds of private trade 
with the Indians, to which they were not entitled, than in the proper 
colonization of the country. Minuet was suspected of working in their 
interests, as he had officially ratified their purchases ; and the company 
was advised to recall him. It was accordingly done. Conrad Notleman 
was appointed sheriff of New Netherland, and sent over to supersede 
Laiupo ; he was intrusted with letters, instructing Minuet to report him- 
self immediately in Holland. 

1638. Minuet left his government in the hands of his council, of 
March19 - which Jan Van Remund was secretary, De Easiers having fallen 
into disgrace with the governor some time before. He sailed in 
the Hendragl, March 19, l(j.':'>2. Lampo and a number of discontented 
families were also passengers. They were driven into Plymouth, Eng- 
land, by a. terrible storm, and were detained there on a charge of illegally 
trading in King Charles's dominions. 

Minuet promptly communicated the intelligence to the com- 
' pany, and also to the Dutch minister at Whitehall The latter 
hastened to Newmarket, where the king and his court were at that 
moment, obtained audience of his Majesty, and remonstrated earnestly 
against the injustice of the whole proceeding, asking for an order for the 
Eendragt's immediate release. Charles declined giving it, on the ground 
that he " was not quite sure what his rights were." 

The main features of the minister's interview with the king were soon 
laid before the States-General. It provoked another spirited correspond- 
ence between the two nations. The Dutch statesmen claimed that they 
had discovered the Hudson River in 1609; that some of their people 
had returned there in 1610; that a specific trading charter had been 
granted in L614; that a fort and garrison had been maintained there 
until the formation, in 1623, of the West India Company, which had 
since occupied the country ; ami great stress was laid upon the pur- 
chase of the land from its aboriginal owners. 

The English based their claims upon the discovery of America bj 
Cabot, and upon the patents granted by James I. They declared 
that the Indians were not bona fide possessors of the soil, and that even if 
they were, they could not give a legal title, unless all of them jointly 
contracted with the purchaser. They kindly offered to allow the Dutch 
to remain in New Netherland if they would submit themselves to the 



WRANGLING AMONG THE DIRECTORS. 



65 



English government, otherwise they would not be permitted "to encroach 
upon a colony of such importance as New England." 

Sir John Coke was the author of most of the English state 
papers relating to this subject; but in June of the same year, Sir 
Francis Windebanke was appointed Secretary of State. It was hardlj 
considered advisable to embarrass the foreign relations of a country, 
when its own private affairs were already sufficiently complicated : bence 
Charles contented himself with the assumption of superiority, ami did nut 
press the question for a settlement. In the course of a tew weeks the 
Lord Treasurer quietly released the Eendragt. 

The interference of the States-General did not settle the unfortunate 
disputes among the directors of the company. Upon Minuet's arrival in 
Holland, commissaries were dispatched to New Netherland to post iu 
every settlement the company's proclamation, forbidding any person, 
whether patroon or vassal, to deal in sewan, peltries, or maize. The large 
appropriations of territory were bad enough, but not half so exasperating 
as individual interference in a trade which was the company's only source 
of profit, and through which alone it could hope to recompense itself for 
the expenditure already occasioned by the unprofitable province of New 
Netherland "But," said Van Rensselaer, "we patroons are privileged, 
not private persons." Again and again were the various clauses in the 
charter analyzed and interpreted. It was a knottj tangle ; and amidst the 
wrangling over the water, the population of Manhattan Island diminished 
rather than increased. 




Purchase of M 



66 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER V. 

1633 - 1638. 
GOVERNOR VAN TWILLER. 

Wouter Van Twiller. — Captain De Vries. — Van Twiller and the English 
Vessel. — Captain De Vries and the Governor. — The First Minister. — The 
First Church and Parsonage. — The First Schoolmaster. — Buildings and Im- 
provements. — New Amsterdam. — Beginnings of Hartford. — Troubles with 
the English. — Quarrels with the Patroons. — Quarrels with the English. — 
Fort Amsterdam. — Excess and Irregularities. — Purchase of Lands. — Gov- 
ernor Van Twiller's Recall. 



THE Amsterdam Chamber, having at last, as was believed, obtained 
mastery over the patroons, decided to establish forts and mills in 
New Netherland, in order to give wider scope to their mercantile oper- 
ations. Despite his private interests, Van Eensselaer had great 
influence among the directors, and succeeded in procuring the 
appointment of Wouter Van Twiller, one of his relations by marriage, 
to the command of the colony. It was a politic measure as far as he was 
concerned ; and it was a stupid concession on the part of the company. 

Van Twiller had been 
a clerk in the com- 
pany's warehouse at 
Amsterdam for nearly 
five years, and in the 
mean time had made 
two voyages to the 
Hudson River in the 
employ of Van Rens- 
Autograph of Van Twiller. selaer, who had select- 

ed him as a tit person to attend to the shipment of cattle to Rensselaers- 
wick. Van Twiller claimed to know all about affairs in New Netherland. 
He was in point of fact a shrewd trader; but he had no practical knowledge 
of government, and was ill-qualified to manage the general concerns of a 
remote province, shaken with internal jealousies and threatened with out- 



/l4A*t*f7uK&fr 





WOVTER VAX TWILLER. (i7 

side aggressions. He was a short stout man, with close-cropped sandy hair, 

small pale-blue eyes set deep iu a full round face, and an uncertain mouth. 
He was good-natured and kind-hearted, but irresolute, easily swayed by 
stronger wills, narrow-minded, slow of thought, word, and deed, and 
grievously deficient in his understanding of men and their motives. 

He arrived at Manhattan early in the spring. His vessel, the Zouth rg, 
captured a Spanish caravela during the voyage, and anchored it safely in 
front of Manhattan Island. The new governor was attended by one hun- 
dred and four soldiers, the first military force which landed upon our 
shores. His advent was hailed with cheers and enthusiasm; and with 
much wine and ceremony he was ushered into authority. His council 
consisted of Jacob Hansen Hesse, Martin Gerritsen, Andries Hudde, 
and Jacques Bentyn. They were men of comprehensive minds, who 
had been reared to habits of industry in Holland, and were able' to 
render material assistance to the heavy, indolent Van Twiller. The 
secretary of the colony, Van Remund, was intelligent, and also helped 
towards smoothing the pathway of that dull-witted ruler and inexperi- 
enced traveler on the road to fame. Cornelis Van Tienhoven, a bright 
young man of good education, was appointed book-keeper of monthly 
wages, and Michael 1'aulusen was made commissary of Pauw's colony 
at Pavonia. Paulus Hook, now Jersey City, derived its name from him. 

A few days after the arrival of Van Twiller at Manhattan, a 

April 16. 

yacht was seen coming into the bay; and ere the sun set Captain 
De Vries announced himself at the fort. He hail left Holland some time 
before the sailing of the Zoutberg, as early as November, and when he had 
reached Swaanendael, found the little post destroyed, and the ground 
bestrewed with the heads and bones of his murdered people. After 
various stratagems, he succeeded in persuading some of the Indians into 
coming en board his vessel, and through attractive presents drew from 
them the story of a terrible tragedy. The Dutch, in keeping with their 
time-honored customs, hail erected a pillar, and fastened to it a piece of 
tin, upon which was inscribed the arms of Holland. An Indian chief, 
thinking it no harm, had stolen the shining metal to make himself a 
tobacco-pouch. Hossett, the commander of the post, was indiscreet 
enough to express great indignation, and thereupon some Indians who 
were particularly attached to him killed the chief who had confiscated 
the tin. Hossett rebuked them tor committing such a crime, and they 
went away. But a lew days afterwards the friends of the murdered 
chieftain resolved to be revenged, and. coining suddenly upon the men as 
they were at work in the tobacco-fields, massacred them all. De Vries 
wisely treated with the same Indians for peace; and when they were 



G8 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



at last induced to bring with them their chief, he formed a circle 
after their own fashion, and gave them blankets, bullets, axes, and 
trinkets, with which they were greatly pleased, and they went away 
promising that he should not be harmed. 

He then tried to establish a whale-fishery, but after spending 

March 11. . . •". r ° 

some time in fruitless efforts, decided that it would not prove 
paying business there, and sailed to the James River, where he was cour- 




Portrait of De Vnes. 



teously received by Sir John Harvey, the governor, of Virginia. He re- 
mained several days, greatly admiring the country, which was already 
under a high state of cultivation, with well-stocked gardens, and Prov- 
ence roses, apple, cherry, pear, and peach trees about the houses. 



CAPTAIN DE VRIES. 69 

Harvey, with genial frankness, produced a map, and tried to convince 
De Vries that the whole country in the region of Swaanendael was the 
property of the king of England; but he was very amiably disposed 
towards the Dutch on the North Eiver, notwithstanding, and a pleasanl 
intercourse was opened between the two colonies. 

Captain De Vries was a bronzed, weather-beaten sailor of the old 
school, without family ties, who had seen the world from many points 
of observation, and had been on terms of intimacy with the most culti- 
vated men and the rudest barbarians. He was tall, muscular, and hard- 
visagedj but soft-voiced as a woman, except when aroused by passion 
lie was quick of perception, with great power of will, ami rarely ever 
erred in judgment. He was the guest of Van Twiller while stopping at 
Manhattan, and a more striking contrast than the two men presented 
could hardly be imagined. 

The second day alter his arrival, the English ship William 

... A Pnl 18- 

anchored in the hay : and it was soon discovered that Eelkms, who 

had been dismissed from Fort Orange for misconduct some years before, 

was onboard as supercargo. The governor and several of Ins officers 

were invited to dine on the vessel, and were accompanied by Captain De 

Vries. The immoderate use of wine and consequent disorder astonished 

the English sailors, who were under strict discipline, and measured the 

authority of the feeble Hutch governor accordingly. They stayed some 

days in front of the little town, and then announced their intention of 

sailing to Fort ( (range, and trading with the Indians, with whom Eelkins 

was well acquainted. Van Twiller was stall led as from a dream, and 

issued orders to the contrary : but the William, quietly weighed anchor, 

and went on her way in the most defiant manner. We clip the following 

from the deposition of one of her crew, as it best explains the scene: — 

"The Dutch there inhabitinge send and command all our companye (except 
one boy) to come to their forte where they staide about twoe houres, and the 
governor commande his gunner to make ready three peeces of ordnance, and 
shott them off for the Prince of < Iran-- and sprede the Prince's coloures, where- 
upon Jacob Eelekins the merchant's factor of the shippe the William comm tndi 
William fforde of Lymehouse (the gunner) to goe abord the shippe an 
her coloures and shoote off theire peeces of ordnance for the king of England. 

Van Twiller regarded the audacious movement with incredulous won- 
der. Then he ordered a ban-el of wine to be brought and opened, and, 
after drinking, waved his hat and shouted, 'All those who love the 
Prince of Orange and me, emulate me in this, and assist me in repelling 
the violence of that Englishman !" 

i X. Y. Coll. MSS.. Vol. I. 74. 



70 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

But the Englishman was already out of harm's way, sailing up the 
river, and the crowd only laughed and tilled their glasses, saying, they 
" guessed they would not trouble the English who were their friends. As 
for the wine, they knew how to get to the bottom of a barrel ; if there 
were six they could master them." 

Captain De Aeries walked up and down in silent indignation while this 
was going on. But at the governor's dinner-table, later in the day, he 
expressed his opinion of the whole transaction in terms more earnest 
than polite. He told Van Twiller that he had acted very indiscreetly ; 
that the Englishman had no commission, only a custom-house clear- 
ance to sail to New England, not to New Netherland ; that if it had 
been his case he should have helped liim to some eight- pounders from 
the fort, and put a stop to his going up the river at all. As it was, he 
advised, most energetically, that the ship Zoutbcrg be sent to force him 
out of the river, and teach him better manners. 

The governor was convinced of the wisdom of the counsel, 

April 28. & ' 

and, after mature deliberation, made a move in the proper di- 
rection by sending an armed force to Fort Orange, where Eelkins had 
pitched a tent and commenced a brisk trade with the Indians. The tent 
was speedily folded, and the intruder conducted to his vessel and to 
Manhattan. The English said : " The Dutch came along with us in their 
shallope, and they sticked greene bowes all about her and drank strong 
waters, and sounded their trumpet in a triumphing manner over us." 

Eelkins was obliged to disgorge his peltries and leave the. harbor, with 
a friendly warning in his ears never more to attempt any interference 
with Dutch trade. Van Twiller then issued an order to the effect that no 
one should sign any paper in reference to the treatment which Eelkins 
had received. 

Very soon afterward the governor, who was sure to act promptly 

May 20. J " .... 

on inopportune occasions, attempted to vindicate his statesman- 
ship at the expense of De Vries. The latter had two vessels, one of 
which was a small yacht ; and before returning to Europe he wished to 
send it toward the north on a trading cruise along the coast. The 
governor forbade bis doing so, and, seeing De Vries making preparations 
in defiance of his authority, valiantly ordered the guns of the fort turned 
upon him. De Vries, who tells the story, says : — 

" I ran to the point of land where Van Twiller stood with the secretary and 
one or two of the council, and told them it seemed to me the country was full 
of fools ! If they must fire at something, they ought to have fired at the English- 
man who violated the rights of their river against their will. This caused them U> 
desist from troubling me further." 



THE FIRST CLERGYMAN. 71 

The yacht sailed, and was soon winding her way through the channel 
of Hellegat (or Hell-Gate, as it is still called), which in certain times of 
the tideindulged in all sorts of wild paroxysms. Some go so far as to 
say that the Dutch named it out of sheer spleen, because it hectored their 
tub-built barks until the sailors were so giddy that they solemnly gave 
the yawning gulf over to the Devil. 

In the same vessel which brought Wouter Van Twiller to .Manhattan, 
Dominie Bogardus, the first clergyman of Xew Netherland, was a passen- 
ger. He was a man of a certain order of talent in large measure, and was 
honored for his piety. He was large, graceful, sinewy, strong, with a fine, 
broad, open, frank face, high cheek-bones, a dark piercing eye, and mouth 
expressive of the very electricity of good-humor, which was partly 
hidden, however, by a beard cut in the peculiar fashion prescribed for 
ecclesiastics during the reign of Henry IV. of France. He was not with- 
out prominent faults. He had a hot and hasty temper, was brusque in 
his manner, and addicted to high living; but he was greatly superior in 

both mind and character to Van Twiller, and his sterling qualities st 1 

forth in such bold relief, that now, at the very mention of Ins name, 
a figure seems to leap forth from the mist of centuries, instinct with 
hearty, vigorous life. Fearless in the performance of his own duties, he 
never allowed any failure on the part of others to pass by unreproved. 
In several instances the governors in authority were severely castigated 
from the sacred desk. 

He desired a more convenient place for public worship than the loft in 
the horse-mill ; and the West India Company displayed their zeal for the 
preservation of tin- blessings of education and religion to their infant 
colony by building him a church. It was a plain wooden edifice, of 
a pattern similar to the New England barn of the present day, and was 
located on a high point of land fronting tin.' Fast Fiver, near whal is now 
Pearl Street, between Whitehall and Broad. It was a conspicuous object 
to vessels coming up through the bay; and English travelers, who were 
accustomed to a different style of architecture, criticised it in anything 
but flattering terms. But it was satisfactory to the conscientious and 
devout worshipers who assembled there every week, and thought only of 
the eloquent words of their beloved dominie ; and it is to be respected as 
the first church edifice on Manhattan Island. 

Near it, and a little to the right, they built a parsonage. It was a small 
Dutch cottage, with the gable-end turned towards the street. The front 
door was ornamented with an elegant brass knocker brought from Hol- 
land. Dominie Bogardus had been accustomed not only to the comforts, 
but also to the luxuries of life, and knew how to surround himself with 



72 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

much that was pleasing to the eye and gratifying to the teste, even in 
the new, wild country. "With his own hands he laid out and planted 
a garden. And in the fresh summer days pinks and tulips winked and 
blinked across the graveled pathways, coquetting with young vegetables. 
Pretty vines clambered to the very house-top, and lilacs and roses, 
jessamines and syringas, vied with each other in gorgeous display, and 
helped to render the place for many years the pride of Manhattan, and 
one of the chief objects of attraction for strangers. 

Another noted but far less worthy personage came over in the 
Zoutberg, and enjoyed for several years the distinction of being the first 
and only schoolmaster in New Netherland. His name was Adam 
Roelandsen. From some cause, perhaps because " people did not speak 
well of him," he could not make a living at his vocation, and so took in 
washing. There is a curious lawsuit recorded in the old Dutch manu- 
scripts, which shows that on the 20th of September, 1638, Adam Roe- 
landsen demanded payment of one Gillis De Voocht for washing bis 
linen. The defendant made no objection to the price charged, but refused 
to pay until the end of the year. The court decided that Roelandsen 
should wash for De Vbocht during the time agreed upon, and then collect 
his money. He lived at first quite out of town ; but there is on record 
an agreement for building a house on Stone Street, near the brewery 
of Oloff S. Van Cortlandt, which was to be thirty feet long, eighteen 
feet wide, and eight feet high, to be tight-clapboarded, and roofed with 
reeden thatch, have an entry three feet wide, two doors, a pantry, a bed- 
stead, a staircase, and a mantel-piece, to be ready on the 1st of May, 
1642, for which $140 was to be paid by Adam Roelandsen, one half 
when the timber was on the ground, and the other half when the build- 
ing was finished. 

That the bedstead should be named in the contract for building a house 
requires some explanation. It was called " slaap-banck," and was a 
sleeping-bench, constructed like a cupboard in a partition, with doors 
closing upon it when unoccupied. Two ample feather-beds upon it, one 
to sleep on and the other for a covering, made up in comfort what it 
lacked in display, and the whole arrangement was a great economy in 
the matter of room. A sleeping-apartment in the small Dutch tavern 
of early New Netherland often accommodated several travelers at night, 
while during the day it was only a public room, quite unencumbered in 
appearance. Schoolmaster Roelandsen could not have enjoyed his house 
for a very long period; for on the 17th of December, 1646, he was tried 
for a very grave offence, found guilty, and sentenced to be " publicly 
flogged, and banished from the country." 



THE FIRST WIND-MILLS. 73 

Van Twiller was not slow to cany out the ideas of his employers in 

the matter of public improvements. The tort was scarcely anything more 
than hanks of earth, eight or ten feet high, with decayed palisades, and 
without ditches. The Dutch, as we have seen, had already introduced ne- 
gro slavery into their colony; and a number of recently imported Africans 
were employed, under the superintendence of Jacob Stoffelsen, to repair 
this dilapidated ami never particularly strong structure. A guard-house 
and barracks won- also built within the fort for the newly arrived sol- 
diers; and three expensive wind-mills were erected, hut injudiciously 
located so near the other buildings that the south-wind was frequently 
intercepted However, they gave the little community something more 
homelike to look at, and were particularly acceptable. 

For himself. Van Twiller built a very substantial brick house within 
tin- fort, by far the most elaborate private dwelling which had as yet 
been attempted in this country; and it served for the residence of succes- 
sive chiefs of the colony during the remainder of the Dutch dynasty. 
Several smaller brick and frame dwellings were erected for the officers, 
all being done at the expense of the company. A farm had been laid 
out some time prior to this date, called the Company's Farm. It ex- 
tended north from Wall to Hudson Street (we can designate localities 
only by thus using the present names), and upon this property Van 
Twiller built a house, barn, brewery, boat-house, etc., for his own private 
accommodation. Another farm belonging to the company he set apart as 
a tobacco plantation. He built several small buildings for the trades- 
people, and laid out a graveyard on the west of Broadway, above Morris 
Street. He also built two houses at Pavonia, another at Fort Nassau on 
the Delaware River, and at Fort Orange one "elegant large house with 
balustrades, and eight small houses." He did not seem to know where to 
stop, having once commenced the work of spending his employers' money. 

P>ut during all this time no independent farmers attempted the culti- 
vation of the soil. The agricultural improvements lay entirely in the 
hands of the patroons, and the sound of the hammer was heard only 
where it was likely to be advantageous to the special business of the 
West India Company. The little town on Manhattan Island received 
the name of New Amsterdam, as the governor's new broom swept over 
it, and was invested with the prerogative of "staple right," by virtue of 
which all the merchandise passing up and down the river was subject to 
certain duties. This right gave the post the commercial monopoly of the 
whole province. 

Van Twiller displayed less and less adaptation to his field of labor as 
the months wore on, and his mismanagement was the topic of conversa- 



74 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

tion among the intelligent men of the colony. Dominie Bogardus wrote 
him several letters on the subject, and is said to have once 
called him a " child of the Devil," and threatened him with " a 
shake from the pulpit." The attention of the States-General was again 
attracted to the affairs of New Netherland through the complaints that 
were entered by the owners of the ship William, who estimated the 
damages they had sustained by reason of the Dutch on the North Eiver 
at £ 4,000, and demanded payment. There was a tedious litigation, but 
it never came to a definite settlement, 

I >iic (if the most onerous duties imposed upon the unlucky governor by 
the West India Company was to obtain a title to the lands on the banks 
of the Fresh or Connecticut Eiver, which had occasionally been visited 
by the Dutch for trading purposes ever since its original discovery by 
Adriaen Block, in 1014. They had recently learned that it had 
been included in a grant to the Earl of Warwick by the king of 
England, and deemed it pobtic to get a formal Indian deed before War- 
wick's grantees should take any steps towards its occupation. Accord- 
ingly, Jacob Van Curler and six other agents were sent to accomplish the 
feat, as also to finish the trading-house, or redoubt, which had been pro- 
jected in 1623, on the west bank of the river, on the site of the present 
city of Hartford. They had no difficulty in treating with the Pequods, 
who had just conquered the Sequeens, and who stipulated only that the 
ceded territory should always be neutral ground, where all the tribes 
might come to trade, and no wars ever be waged ; and then the little 
post was completed and fortified with two cannons, and named Good 
Hope. 1 

Governor Winthrop thought it well to assert promptly the superior 
title of the English to the whole of the Connecticut valley, in a letter to 
the Dutch authorities, and received in reply a very courteous and respect- 
ful document from Governor Van Twiller, asking the governor of Plym- 
outh to defer all Ins claims until their respective governments should 
agree about the limits of their territories, not presuming " two great 
powers would fall into contention about a little portion of such heathen- 
ish countries." 

But although the Massachusetts authorities were not disposed to inter- 
fere, the Plymouth people were determined to establish a counter-claim 
to the land where the Hollanders were now in quiet possession, under their 

i The ruins of the old fort have been traced, by persons now living, on the bank of the 
Connecticut near the seat of the Wylls family. Several yellow Dutch bricks used in its con- 
struction are preserved by residents of Hartford. Public Records of Connecticut, by J. H. 
Trumbull. Holmes, Am. Ann., I. 219, note. 



DIFFICULTIES WITH THE ENGLISH. 75 

threefold supposed right, by original discovery, constant visitation, and 
legal purchase. So they managed to buy a tract of land, just north of 
Fort Good Hope, of a party of Indians who had been driven out of 
that country by the Pequods; and Lieutenant William Holmes, a land 
surveyor, with a company of English tanners, accompanied by the ban- 
ished Indians, proceeded there as rapidly as they could make their way 
through the forests. While passing the Dutch post they were hailed by 
Van Corlear, who threatened to shoot them if they did not stop instant] v. 
Their reply was, "Fire! we shall go on if we die": and they went on, 
and the Dutch did not fire. Arriving at the point where Windsor now 
stands, they clapped up the frame of a house which they hail brought 
with them, and landed their provisions. Afterwards they " palisadoed " 
their house about, and fortified themselves better, for they were afraid of 
the Pequods, who were much offended that they should bring home and 
restore the Sachem Xatuwannute to his rights 

When the news of these proceedings reached Van Twiller, he sent a 
formal order to Holmes to depart forthwith from the lands on the Fresh 
River ; hut Holmes, who had already defied the guns of Fort Good 
Hope, was not to he moved by the power of speech. He replied that he 
was there in the name of the king of England, and there he should stay. 1 
Van Twiller submitted his perplexities to the Amsterdam Chamber, hut, 
before any reply could teach him, serious difficulties occurred between the 
Connecticut River Dutch colonists and tin- Pequods, and the latter 
entered into an alliance with the English. When the order ram,- from 
Holland to send an armed force to dislodge the intruders. Van Twiller 
dispatched seventy men for the purpose; hut the Windsor colony put 
themselves on the defensive, and, fearful of Indian hostilities, the Dutch 
thought it wise to withdraw. 

The most important event of the year 1(>:!4 was an advantageous 
treaty of peace concluded with the Raritan Indians, which, considering 
the weak state of the colony, was a master stroke of policy. 

Meanwhile, Captain De Vries, upon his return to Holland, hail found 
the directors of the company still at variance in regard to the meddling 
with the fur-trade by the patroons. Even the few beaver-skins which he 
had brought over in his vessel provoked high words, and, seeing the turn 
events were taking, he retired from his partnership on the Delaware, and 
entered into a speculation with some merchants who were trading on 
the coast of Guiana. But he did not hesitate to speak his mind freely 
concerning the incapacity of the New Netherland officials, and through 

l Winthrop; Bradford, in Hutch. Mass.; Prince; Trumbull; Broadhead ; O'Calla- 

glian. 



76 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

his efforts and influence the drunken and dishonest sheriff Notelman was 
superseded by Lubbertus Van Dincklagen, an educated lawyer, and a man 
of great excellence of character. 

Both the directors of the company and the patroons appealed 

to the States-General for redress of grievances ; but the latter, 

finding the question very knotty, prudently postponed a decision. In 

the mean time, Godyn had died, and the remaining patroons of Swaanen- 

dael commenced legal proceedings against the company for damages, 

which they had sustained through neglect of the company to defend them 

from inland and foreign wars, as was promised in their charter. The 

Assembly of the XIX., tiring of these continual discords, determined 

to purchase the rights and property of the South River patroons ; 

which they accordingly did, for the sum of fifteen thousand six 

hundred guilders. 

Early iu the following summer the vacant Fort Nassau was seized by 
some Englishmen from Point Comfort, under command of George Holmes. 
Thomas Hall, one of Holmes's men, deserted, and brought prompt intelli- 
gence to Van Twiller, who sent an armed force, dislodged the 
party, and brought all captives to New Amsterdam. But he did 
not know what to do with them, and took counsel of De Vries, who was 
again with his vessel in New York Bay, and about to sail for the 
Chesapeake. The result was that they were reshipped " pack and 
Sept ' 10 ' sack " for Point Comfort, and thus ended the first English ag- 
gression on the South Eiver. 

Success was awaiting the English in the Connecticut Valley, not- 
withstanding the Dutch fort at Hartford. In the autumn, the Pequods 
visited Boston and sold all their right and title to Governor 

Nov 24 

' Winthrop. To whom then did it belong ? Soon afterward, John 
Winthrop, the younger, arrived from England, commissioned by Lord 
Warwick's grantees as " agent for the River of the Connecticut with the 
places adjoining thereto," and brought with him men and ammunition 
and two thousand pounds in money to begin a fortification at the mouth 
of the river. A few weeks later he proceeded to take possession and 
erect some buildings upon the very land which the Dutch had purchased 
of the Indians three years before, and contemptuously tore down the 
arms of the States-General which was affixed to a tree, painting a ridicu- 
lous face in its place. Van Twiller, who had lost all faith in wordy 
protests, sent a sloop to dislodge them ; but Winthrop had two pieces on 
shore, and would not suffer the Dutch to land. The English named the 
point Saybrook, in compliment to Lord Say and Lord Brook. 

Fort Amsterdam was completed this summer ; but although consider- 



FORT AMSTERDAM. 



77 



able expense had been lavished upon the repairs, if there had been a 
hostde attack from any source whatever, the question of holding it would 
have been decided very briefly. The northwest bastion only was faced 
with stone, and not a fence surrounded it to keep off the goats and other 
animals which ran at large through the town. Its oidy redeeming fea- 
ture was its elegant regularity. 

The houses were small and simple in their construction, aud nearly 
all of them were located within a tew yards of tin/ quaint little citadel. 
Some were built of rough stone. 



/ fort niainv tAtnjterdatn <<» tit 1 Ma nliat a n . 




First View of New Amsterda 



The above sketch of the fort and the buildings around it was originally 
made by a Dutch officer in 1635, and the picture was engraved in Hol- 
land. As a work of art it is certainly curious. It was undoubtedly the 
production of a strong memory, and, even allowing for the omission of 
Governor's Island, which is ingrafted upon Long Island, and the distance 
of Paulus Hook, which appears not more than the length of three of the 
canoes, there is no view extant which can give us a better idea of the 
tender infancy of our proud city. 

The wind-mill was near a creek which is now Broad Street. The gib- 
bet, or whipping-post, was close by the water's edge. Upon this trans- 
gressors were hoisted by the waist, and suspended such length of time as 
their offense warranted. 

And yet, such was the peaceful disposition of the inhabitants, that 



78 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF SEW YORK. 

police regulations were almost entirely unknown. Not even a sentinel 
1636. was kept on duty at night. A very ludicrous incident occurred 
May 8. on the morning of the 8th of May, 1636. It was just at day- 
break that the boom of a strange gun shook the island from center to 
circumference. The people were alarmed, the soldiers in the fort rushed 
to their posts, and the corpulent Van Twiller, in a state of mind not to 
be envied, ran, holding a pistol in one hand while he tried to dress him- 
self with the other, towards the shore. It was all explained presently. 
Captain De Vrics had returned, and after having piloted his vessel 
through the Narrows in the dead of night, humorously determined to 
speak in his own behalf and watch the result. He was heartily wel- 
comed and invited home with the governor to breakfast. 

It is through the writings of this celebrated sea-captain that 

June 25. ° . ° . . . . ' . 

we learn of much ot the irregularity existing at that time in New 
Netherland. Nearly every one drank wine and stronger liquors to excess 
when they could be obtained. For instance, a new agent arrived for 
I'auw's colony at Pavonia, one Cornelis Van Vorst, and brought with 
him some g 1 claret. De Vries called there one day, and found the gov- 
ernor and the minister making merry ; and finally they quarreled with 
Van Vorst about a manslaughter which had been committed in his 
colony a few days before, but made it up in the end, ami started for home. 
Van Vorst ran to give a salute to the governor from a stone gun which 
stood on a pillar near his house, and a spark fell upon the thatched roof, 
setting it on fire. There being no means of putting it out, in less than 
half an horn- the whole building was consumed. 

On another occasion the gunner gave a frolic, and all the digni- 
* " g taries were present. The tent was erected in one of the angles of the. 
fort, and tables and benches were placed for the guests. When the glee was 
at its height, the trumpet began to blow, which occasioned a quarrel, and 
the koopmau of the stores and the koopman of the cargasoons found fault 
and called the trumpeter hard names. He turned round and gave them 
each a thrashing, and they ran for their swords, uttering terrible threats. 
The trumpeter hid from them that night, but the next morning, when the 
wine, had evaporated, " they feared him more than they sought him." 
Aug. 13. The natural beauties of Staten Island attracted the attention 
Aug. 15. of De Vries, and before he left for Holland, on the 15th of August, 
he arranged with Van Twiller to enter it for him on the records of the 
company, as he wished to found a colony there. 

On the 16th of June, prior to this date, Jacob Van Corlear had pur- 
chased a tract of land from the Indians on Long Island, and employed 
Thomas Hall, the English deserter, to superintend the plantation. About 



PURCHASE OF LANDS. 



79 



the same time Andries Hudde, one of the governor's council, in partnership 
with Wolfert Gerritsen, purchased the flats next Corlear's property Ob 
the liitli of July, Van Twiller himself secured the tempting lauds farther 
to the east. These purchases, including nearly 15,000 acres, seem to have 
been made without the knowledge or approbation of the Amsterdam 
Chamber. Upon them was founded the town of New Amersfoordt, now 
Flatlands. 
There was another grant of which it is interesting to take notice, and 

which occurred not far from the 
same date, — sixty-two acres to 
Roelof Jans, beginning south ot 
Warren Street, and extending along 
Broadway as far as Duane Street, 
thence northwesterly a mile and a 
half to Christopher Street, thus 
forming a sort of unequal tri- 
angle with its base upon the North 
River. This was the original con- 
veyance of the very valuable estate 
since known as the Trinity Church 
property. 1 

Rensselaerswick was at 

,, . . 1637. 

this time improving more 
rapidly than any other part of the 
province. The farmers wrote home 
glowing descriptions of the soil and 
productions, which, published in 
Holland, brought out colonists in 

Map of what was Anetje Jans's Farm. ].,,,_,,, num berS, and sol, I tllcln 

were men of substantial means. Early in the spring of 1637 Van Rens- 
selaer purchased of the Indians a large addition to his already exten- 
sive property, and tradition says that he paid a brief visit to his manor 
about that time. 

Van Twiller also inspected and bought for himself Nutten Island, 



■ .-^^-ymMjDj 


- /y<-. ii ' U nnn 


x ~ 5>**WDDDaaijQa 


^ :: /^jjmn 


L '^\^ % \ -I -3 -3 jpJid ! 


** mMmi 


* -^ 6 " pDQflSQi; 


» ^i-^-umj 


> ° „l*<* i >- 


L^r.^-J 










V~ J, k-j' 1 S 


VvJ 'E 1 


"Z. Z ^C-' 


IZaJ'.ULi I 


O * ^'»*^, | 


bif §§c 


tfi *4> pB '~ . ^ 


, J ,| r HJM j t ~ 


& 5 '" rf I 




V3 


u Ta~ 


* 


g^B _ 


A \ 


i4^>l£j | 










F 


I JT 


_1 J OIV 1 ICC 


\ \ '-,„*..„, 1 f> 



1 Roelof Jans died soon after the grant, leaving a wife and four children. Ili^ widow 
Anetje married Dominie Bogardus in the yeaT 1638, and her farm was known as the " Don - 

inie's honwery." After Bogardns's death in 1647, this grant was confin 1 by the English 

government to the heirs, who sold it in lfi"l to Colonel Lovelace, at which sale oi t the heir 

failed to be present. It was afterward incorporated into the king's farm, and in 1703 was 
presented by Queen Anne to Trinity Church. Anetje Bogardus died in 1668 in Bi 
Benson's Memoir, 119. Rcnsselaerswicl MSS Paige's Chancery Bt 



80 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

since which it lias heen called Governor's Island. 1 The water was so 
shallow between it and Long Island at that time as to be easily 
' forded at low tide. The next month he bought Great Barn and 
Blackwell's Island. By these acquisitions he became one of 
' the richest land-owners in the province. He stocked his nice 
farms with valuable cattle, and the colonists wondered how it all came 
about ! The high-toned officer Van Dincklagen could not rest in silence, 
and remonstrated with the governor in the plainest manner, finally 
threatening to expose him if he did not desist from his dishonorable pro- 
ceedings. All the fierce obstinacy of Van Twiller's nature was thus 
aroused, and in a fit of rage he caused the bold sheriff to be arrested on a 
charge of contumacy, and sent him as a prisoner to Holland, retaining his 
salary, which was three years in arrears. 

Van Dincklagen had no sooner arrived there than with his facile pen he 
reviewed Van Twiller's government in a memorial to the States-General, 
which was immediately sent to the Amsterdam Chamber with the sugges- 
tion that they had better make prompt reparation to their injured officer. 
They at first refused, but the resolute Van Dincklagen was well known 
and respected, and his second memorial was supported by some very 
stinging remarks from Captain De Vries, about " promoting a fool fn mi 
a clerkship to a governorship simply to act farces," so that finally it 
was decided to recall Van Twiller, and appoint Wilhelm Kieft in his 
place. The new governor, in presence of the States-General, took 

ep ' ' his oath of office on September 2, 1637. 

Van Dincklagen's complaints were not confined to the civil authorities 
of New Netherland. Dominie Bogardus was censured, and to such an 
extent that when the news reached his church in New Amsterdam the 
consistory felt it their duty to take ecclesiastical proceedings against the 
complainant, which a long time after they were obliged to defend before 
the Classis of Amsterdam. 

It was years before Van Dincklagen collected his salary, although the 
States-General signified it as their pleasure that he should at once be 

1 Coincident with the governor's purchase, John (George) Jansen De Rapaelje hought of the 
Indians 335 acres on Long Island near Waal-Bogt, or the Bay of the Foreigners. Prior to 
this William Adriaense Bennet and Jacques Bentyn had bought 930 acres at Gowanus, and 
at these two isolated points were formed the nuclei of the present city of Brooklyn. One 
Jonas Bronck also hought a valuable tract in West Chester "over against Haarlem," and 
from him the Bronx River derived its name. The West India < lonrpany bought the island of 
Quotenius in Narragansett Bay, also an island near the Thames River, which was for many 
years known as Dutchman's Island. And not far from the same time they purchased from 
Michael Pauw, Pavonia and his other lands, which abated a great nuisance in the shape of 
an independent colony on those shores. 



THE FUR-TRADE. 



81 



paid. He afterwards returned to New Amsterdam, and filled with honor 
one of the most important offices under the government. 

Notwithstanding the loss of business on the Connecticut, the fur-trade 
during the last year of Van Twiller's administration had increased The 
Dutch had opened a profitable commerce with New England; and the 
scarcity of commodities there, owing to the bloody war which was raging 
with the Pequods, affected prices to a considerable degree in New Nether- 
land A schepel — three pecks — of rye sold readily for eighty cents. 
A laboring man commanded eighty rents per day during harvest. Corn 
rose to the extraordinarily high price of twelve shillings a bushel A good 
cow brought thirty pounds, a pair of oxen forty pounds, and a hois, fortj 
pounds, while the price of a negro was on an average sixteen dollars. 




82 HI STONY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER VI 



GOVERNOR WILHELM KIEFT. 

Governor Wii.helm Kieft. — The Extraordinary Council. — Abuses. — Proclama- 
tions. — The Dominie's Wedding. — A Curious Slander Case. — The First Persy 
ro Long Island. — Encroachments of the Swedes. — A new Potter. — Captain 
De Vries's Arrival. — The Pioneer Settlers. — Olokf Stevensen Van Cortlandt. 
— English Amrition. — Captain De Vries's Travels and what he saw. — Pur- 
chase or Indian Lands. — Trouble with the Indians. — The new Charter of 
Freedoms and Exemptions. — The Store-Keeper. — The Six Murderers. — Muni- 
cipal Regulations. — The firm - Marine Telegraph in the Harbor. 

/~^\ OVEENOB WILHELM KIEFT was somewhat coolly received 
VJT when, after a long ami tedi<ms voyage in tin- //< ing, he landed on 
Manhattan Island. March 28, 1638. Rumors to his disadvantage had 
preceded him. It was said that he had once failed in the mercan- 
tile business in Holland, and, according t<> custom, his portrait had 
been affixed to the gallows in consequence. That, in Dutch estimation, 
was a lasting disgrace. Since then, he had been sent by the government 
a- Minister t" Turkey, and had been intrusted with money to procure the 
ransom of some Christians in bondage. The captives were left in their 
chains, and the money was never refunded. Such unfortunate antece- 
dents were not calculated to inspire confidence, and the man himself had 
no personal attractions. He was small in size, fussy, bustling, fiery, and 
avaricious. He had a wiry look, as if he was constantly standing on 
guard : prominent, sharp features : and deep-set. restless -ray eyes. He 
was industrious and strictly temperate, not wanting in natural abilities, 
and far from heedless of the laws of morality; but his education was 
limited and his self-conceit unrestrained, and in his ignorance of the 
true principles of government he imagined himself able to legislate, 
individually, for all mankind. 

He seized the reins of authority with the air of a master, the will of a 
tyrant, and a detennination of spirit which would not brook interfer- 
ence. He consulted no one. He showed no deference to the opinions of 



THE EXTRAORDINARY COUNCIL. 83 

the intelligent few who were already experienced in the matter of treat- 
ing with the Indians. He placed himself on a pedestal, and looked loftily 
over the heads of his subjects. The West India Company had accorded 
him the privilege of fixing the number of his council He warily chose 
one man. The favored individual was Dr. Johannes La Montagne, a 
learned and highly bred French Huguenot, who had escaped from the 
rage of religious persecution the year before, and found his Canaan in 
the Dutch settlement on Manhattan Island. His parents belonged to the 
ancienne noblesse of France, — a fad which he took pains neither to promul- 
gate nor conceal, but which might have revealed itself in a thousand ways, 
even if his unusual accomplishments and elegant manners had not won 
universal admiration. He was a widower with four interesting children, 
upon whom he bestowed great rare and affection. He gave them lessons 
daily, and perfected their education in such a masterly manner that his 
three daughters grew up to be the most attractive women of their day in 
the province, and his son became a man of fortune and position. Two of 
Dr. La Montague's daughters married physicians, — Dr. Hans Kiersted 
and Dr. Van Imbroeck. His youngest daughter, Marie, became the wife 
of Jacob Kip. Dr. La. Montagne practiced medicine for many years, and 
was the only doctor on Manhattan in whom the settlers had any confi- 
dence. 

Kieft was quick to recognize the prospective value of such a man's 
advice in state affairs; but, as a governor, he was resolved to hold the 
supreme command himself in every particular. He therefore curiously 
arranged that his one councilor should be entitled to one vote, while he 
reserved to himself two votes. Such a high-handed act of despotism 
would not have been tolerated a day in any part of the Dutch Republic; 
and it only serves to illustrate the inattention of the West India ( Jompany 
to the best interests of their colony. Indeed, the company were discuss- 
ing the question at that very time, "whether it would not be expedient 
to place the district of New Netherland at the disposal of the States- 
General." 

Kieft patronizingly declared his willingness to admit an invited guest, 
perhaps two, into his extraordinary council board, on occasions when 
special cases were to be tried in which either himself or Dr. La Mon- 
tague were supposed to be interested ; but as long as it was judged a 
high crime to appeal to any other tribunal, the condescension was 
sneeringly commented upon by the democratic colonists Cornelis Van 
Tienhoven won his way into the aew governor's favor through a 
little adroit flattery, and was made secretary of tin- province at a salary 
of two hundred and fifty dollars per year. A lew days later, Ulrich 



84 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Lupoid was appointed sheriff, although his qualifications for that office 
were bitterly questioned 

Kieft sent, with his first letter to Holland, a formal statement of the 
ruinous condition in which he had found the colony. He said : — 

" The fort is open at every side except the stone point ; the guns are dis- 
mounted ; the houses and public buildings are all out of repair ; the magazine 
for merchandise has disappeared ; every vessel in the harbor is falling to pieces ; 
only one wind-mill is in operation ; the farms of the company are without ten- 
ants, and thrown into commons ; the cattle are all sold, or on the plantations of 
Van Twiller." 

Not very cheerful news for the disheartened company. Van Twiller 
had retired to private life, and taken up his abode in the house which he 
had built upon the company's farm. Immediately upon Kieft's arrival, 
the ex -governor commenced negotiations for hiring both house and farm, 
and in a few days succeeded in concluding an arrangement at a yearly 
rent of two hundred and fifty guilders, together with a sixth part of 
the produce. The inventory of his private property was in startling 
contrast to the general state of decay and dilapidation throughout the 
colony, and his manner of living was so ostentatious that he was re- 
garded with scorn by the honest portion of the little community. 

Abuses existed in every department of the public service. Private 
individuals were constantly smuggling furs and tobacco, and selling fire- 
arms to the Indians, in open disregard of orders. Law seemed fast be- 
coming obsolete. Kieft commenced the reformatory work by proclama- 
tions. They were written in a plain hand and pasted on posts, trees, 
barns, and fences. All selling of guns or powder to the Indians was 
prohibited, under pain of death. Illegal traffic in furs was forbidden. 
Tobacco was made subject to excise. The retailing of liquors was limited 
to wine, " in moderate quantities." Hours were fixed for laborers to stop 
work ; sailors were ordered not to leave their ships after night-fall. All 
the vices were forbidden. No person might leave the island without a 
passport. Thursday of each week was appointed for the regular sitting 
of the council. 

Presently, the self-sufficient lawgiver ordered that no attestations or 
other public writings should be valid before a court in New Netherland 
unless they were written by the colonial secretary. This arbitrary regu- 
lation provoked opposition, and was declared on all sides to be oppressive, 
and intended to restrain popular rights. The policy of the measure was 
defended by the sycophantic Van Tienhoven, who declared that most of 
the parties who went to law for the redress of their grievances were illit- 



ABUSES. — PROCLAMATIONS. 85 

erate countrymen or sailors, who could read or write but indifferently or 
not at all. 

Dominie Bogardus, when he heard of the charges which Van Dinck- 
lagen had preferred against him before the Classis of Amsterdam, peti- 
tioned the governor for leave to return to Holland and defend himself. 







Autograph of Everardus Bogardus. 

Kieft entered warmly into the feelings of the church and people, and 
finally resolved " to retain Dominie Everardus Bogardus, that the in- 
terests of God's Word may in no wise lie prevented " ; and he also 
prayed the Classis of Amsterdam " for the protection of their- esteemed 
preacher." 1 

Not long after, the principal families and personages at Manhattan 
'were invited to attend the marriage of the Dominie to the famous Anetje 
Jans, who, although she may not have seemed rich in the days when great 
landed estates were to be bought for a few strings of beads, yet is rever- 
enced by her numerous descendants as among the very goddesses of 
wealth. She was a small, well-formed woman, with delicate features, 
transparent complexion, and bright, beautiful dark eyes. She had a well- 
balanced mind, a sunny disposition, winning manners, and a kind heart ; 
and soon became very dear to the people of the church over which her 
husband was pastor, besides being a distinguished and valuable counselor 
to her own numerous family of children. 

A curious regulation was instituted about that time in relation to the 
ringing of the town bell. Its chief office was to call the devout to 
church on the Sabbath; but Kieft ordered it rung every evening at nine 
o'clock, to announce the hour for retiring; also every morning and even- 
ing at a given hour, to call persons to and from their labor; and, on 
Thursdays, to summon prisoners into court. We take the following from 
the unpublished Dutch manuscripts at the New York City Hall : 2 — 

" October 14th, 1638. For scandalizing the governor, Hendrick Jansen is 

» Cor. CI. Amsterdam, 19th Xor., 1641 ; 1st April. 1642, ant.; p. '273. 

2 The official records of New Netherland have fortunately been preserved in an almost un- 
broken series from the time of Kieft's inauguration, and afford authentic and copious materials 
for the historian. 



86 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

sentenced to stand at the fort entrance, at the ringing of the bell, and ask the 
governor's pardon." 

Under the same date, — 

" For drawing his knife upon a person, Guysbert Van Regerslard is sentenced 
to throw himself three times from the sailyard of the yacht Hope, and to receive 
from each sailor three lashes, at the ringing of the bell." 

And,— 

" Grietje Rentiers, for, slandering the Dominie Everardus Bogardus, is con- 
demned to appear at Fort Amsterdam, at the sounding of the bell, and declare 

before the governor and council that she knew the minister to be an honest and 
pious man, and that she had lied falsely." 

The records give us an insight into the cause as well as the merits of 
this slander case. Mrs. Bogardus went to pay a. friendly visit to a. 
neighbor; but, on getting into the "entry," discovered that Grietje Rei- 
niers, a woman of questionable reputation, was in the house, and there- 
upon turned about and went home. Grietje was greatly offended at this 
"snubbing" from the Dominie's lady, and followed her, making disagree- 
able remarks. "While passing a blacksmith's shop, where the road was 
muddy, Mrs. Bogardus raised her dress a little, and Grietje was very 
invidious in her criticisms. The Dominie thought fit to make an ex- 
ample of her; hence the suit. Grietje's husband being in arrears for 
church dues, Bogardus sent for him and ordered payment, and, not getting 
it, finally sued for the amount. 

In some respects Kieft brought order out of chaos, and improved the 
appearance of the town. Most of the houses were in clusters without 
regard to streets, and grouped near the walls of the fort. Pearl Street 
was then a simple road on the bank of the river. It is at no very distant 
date that Water, Front, and South Streets were reclaimed from the 
water. Pearl was undoubtedly the first street occupied for building pur- 
poses, and Kieft selected it for the best class of dwellings, on account of 
its fine river-prospect. The lone wind-mill stood on State Street, ami 
was, as seen from the bay, the most prominent object on the island. Not 
far from it were the bakery, brewery, and warehouse of the company. 

A ferry to Long Island had been established before Kieft's arrival, 
from the vicinity of Peck's Slip to a point a little below the present 
Fulton Ferry. Cornelis Dircksen, who had a farm in that vicinity, came 
at the sound of a horn, which hung against a tree, and ferried the wait- 
ing passengers across the river in a skiff, for the moderate charge of 
three stivers in wampum. Many thousands now cross the Brooklyn 
ferries daily at about the same place. 



COMPETITION OF SWEDES. 



87 



There was a mad which had been formed by travel from the fort 
towards the northern part of Manhattan [sland, crooking about to avoid 
hills and ravines, and which might have been nunc truly called a path. 
Upon either side of it, although at considerable distances apart, farms were 
laid out, and some English colonists, who removed to this hitherto uncul- 




First Ferry to Long Island. 



April 15. 



tivated district from Virginia, brought with them cherry and peach trees, 
and soon rendered it somewhat interesting to agriculturists, deft was 
extravagantly fond of flowers, and encouraged gardening alter the must 
approved European standard. He also stocked the farms with fine cattle 
Sweden all at mice appeared as a competitor with France, England, 
and Holland for a foothold in North America. Peter Minuet had offered 
tn that poweT the benefit of his colonial experience; and an ex- 
pedition was placed under his direction, with fifty emigrants, a 
Lutheran minister, goods for the Indian trade, and the necessaries for 
making a little colony comfortable in a strange land. They came to 
the Delaware Bay country, where Minuet bought of the sachem Matte- 
lioorn, for "a kettle and other trifles," as much land as would serve to 
build a house upon and make a plantation. For this land a deed was 
given, written in Low Dutch, as no Swede could interpret the Indian lan- 
guage. Upon the strength of this conveyance, the Swedes claimed to have 
bought all the territory on the west side of the Delaware River, from ( 'ape 
Henlopen to the Falls of Trenton, ami as far inland as they might want. 1 

1 Acrelius in 11 N. Y. H. S. Co!., Vol. I. 109. New York Col. MSS. Budde's Report. 
Hazard, .hii. Perm, 12, 1:3. BrodJtmd, Vol. I. p. 2S2. Letter of Jerome Bawley, Treasurer 
of Virginia, to Secretary Windebarike, May 8, lr>38, in London Documents. O'Callaghan, 
I. 190. Ferris, 42, 15. Holm, 85. 



88 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

As soon as Kieft heard the news, he wrote Minuet a letter of re- 
monstrance, of which the latter took no heed, but went on building his 
fort, which he called Fort Christiana, in honor of the young queen of 
Sweden. Before midsummer, he went to Europe with the first cargo 
of furs. Kieft was uncertain what course to pursue, and wrote to the 
company for instructions. Sweden was, however, just then, too powerful 
a kingdom and too dangerous a neighbor to pick a quarrel with, for the 
company was already on the decline ; therefore the Swedes became the 
first European occupants of the State of Delaware. 

By this time the company, in sheer despair, had matured a more 
liberal policy, by which they hoped to improve their mismanaged prov- 
ince of New Netherland. Every emigrant should be accommodated, 
according to his means, with as much land as he could properly cultivate. 
He should be conveyed to New Netherland, with his cattle and merchan- 
dise, in the company's ships, at a duty of ten per cent ad valorem, paid to 
the company. A quit-rent of one tenth of the jiroduce was exacted, but 
legal estates of inheritance were assured to the grantees of all the land. 
Ministers, schoolmasters, and negro slaves were promised ; and also pro- 
tection and assistance in case of war. Forts and public buildings were 
to be kept in repair, and law and order maintained by the company ; 
and each new settler was required to declare under his signature that 
he would voluntarily submit to existing authorities. It was a step in 
advance, although far short of the emergency, and arrangements for re- 
moval to America were immediately made by many persons of capital 
and influence in Holland. 

Captain De Vries sailed in September, with a party of emigrants, to 
take possession of Staten Island. When they arrived off Sandy 
Hook, winter had set in, and all were homesick and disheart- 
ened. The captain of the vessel proposed going to the West 
Indies, to stay until spring ; but De Vries objected, and offered to pilot 
the ship into port, which he accordingly did. He was always a welcome 
visitor at New Amsterdam, but perhaps never more so than now, as no 
ship was expected at such a season of the year, and its coming was an 
agreeable break in the monotony of colonial life. De Vries was invited 
to the governor's house and treated with distinguished attention. His 
people remained on the vessel for a few days, when they proceeded 
to Staten Island, and constructed some log-cabins, to live in until 
spring. 

Kieft, in looking about him, thought it was well to secure more land to 
the company ; and he purchased from the Indian chiefs, during that and 
the following year, nearly all the territory now comprising the county 



THE PIONEER SETTLERS. 89 

of Queen's. 1 A few months afterward, he secured a large tract of land in 
West Chester, which is supposed to include the present town of 
Yonkers. 2 Portions of these lands were soon deeded away to 
enterprising settlers ; for, by reason of the more liberal system of the 
company, a rapid impulse had been given to the settlement of 
the province. In August of this year, Antony Jansen Van Vaas, 
a French Huguenot, from Salee, bought two hundred acres on the west 
end of Long Island, and a part of the present towns of New Utrechl and 
Gravesend, of which he was the pioneer settler. On the 28th of 

Nov. 28 

November following, Thomas Bescher received a patent for a 
tobacco plantation "on the beach of Long Island," supposed to be a 
portion of the site of Brooklyn. About the same time, George 
Holms, the leader of the expedition against Fort Nassau, who 
had returned to cast his fortunes among the Dutch at Fort Amster- 
dam, entered into partnership with his countryman, Thomas Hall, and 
bought a large farm mi Deutal Bay, a small cove on the East River, 
now known as Turtle Bay, 3 where they built a very comfortable house. 
Attracted by the greater religious freedom among the Dutch, numbers 
came from New England and settled at various points on Long Island, 
at West Chester, and at New Amsterdam. Among them was Captain 
John Underbill, who had distinguished himself in the Pecjuod war, and 
had since been governor of Dover. That is, he made arrangements for 
removal, and sent several of his people; but he was himself detained 
to undergo ecclesiastical proceedings from the "proud Pharisees," as he 
called them, and only arrived in New Amsterdam in 1643. But there 
was an influx of the poorer class from Virginia which was not bene- 
ficial, except so far as their experience in tobacco and fruit culture was 
concerned ; for they were English convicts, sent out as laborers, and 
glad to escape as soon as their term of service had expired. They were 
very much given to drinking and lawlessness. 

In the early part of the summer, New Amsterdam had been visited 
by two somewhat remarkable men, who were so much pleased with 
what they saw that they returned to Europe and soon after came back 
to establish themselves here with their families. These were Jochem 
Pietersen Kuyter, of Darmstadt, who had held a high position in the 

1 Thomsons Long Island. Dr. Stiles' s History of Brooklyn. 

2 Bolton's West Chester, 11, 401. Alb. Rec. G. G., 50, 62. 

8 The Dutch name Deutal, which the English corrupted to Turtle, signified a peg with 
which casks were secured. These pegs were short, but broad at the base; and as the bay «;i- 
narrow at the entrance, but wide within, the resemblance suggested the name. Judge Ben- 
son's Memoir, 96. 



DO 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



East Indies under the government of Denmark ; and Cornells Melyn, of 
Antwerp. They were both men of property and ability, of some culture, 
and of wide experience in the ways of the world, and they soon rose to 
prominence in the colony. Thirty or more farms were now under success- 
ful cultivation, and the country began to wear an air of healthy activity. 
The only obligation required from foreigners was an oath of allegiance 
similar to that which was imposed upon the Dutch colonists. 

In July, Ulrich Lupoid was removed from the post of sheriff to that 
of commissary of wares, and Cornells Van der Huygens was appointed in 
his place. Jacob Van Corlear and David Provoost were made inspectors 
of tobacco, and Oloff Stevenson Van Cortlandt was appointed commis- 
sary of the shop. This latter personage came out in the same vessel 

with Kieft from 



Holland, as a sol- 
dier in the service 
of the company, 
and this was his 
first rjroinotion. He 
was a lineal descend- 
ant of the Dukes 
of Courland in Rus- 
sia. His ancestors, 
when deprived of 
the duchy of Cour- 
land, emigrated to 
H o 1 1 a n d . The 
family name was 
Stevens, or Stevensen, van (from) Courland, and they adopted the latter 
as a surname, the true orthography in Dutch being Kortelandt, signify- 
ing short-land,} 

Michel Evertsen was clerk of the customs, — the first record in 
New Netherland of an honorable Dutch name, which has been handed 
down to many highly respected families iu the State of New York and 
elsewhere. Gerrit Schult and Hans Kiersted were regularly bred sur- 
geons, sent out from Holland by the West India Company. The latter 
married Sarah, the eldest daughter of Dr. La Montague. Gysbert Op 
Dyck was sent as commissary to Fort Good Hope. 




' The above statements are founded upon Burke's Histor-ij of the English Commoners, The 
Heraldic Bearings and Family Tradition. " Let those who would disparage the origin of this 
noble family go to work and disprove what has long ago been asserted of them." — Rev. 
Robert Bolton to the Author, November 11, 1872. 



ENGLISH AM HIT! OX. 91 

The state of morals in New Amsterdam was by no means healthy, 
owing tn the great variety of persons who were coming into the town: 
and prosecutions and punishments for dishonesty and public executions 
for murder and mutiny were not infrequent. The governor was con- 
tinually on the alert, but, from his irritable nature, commanded no re- 
spect, and was obliged to enforce obedience. Assuming sovereignty 
and refusing counsel, he soon committed an act of the greatest indis- 
cretion. He levied a tribute of " maize furs or sewan " upon the 

,- , . , Sept. 15. 

Indians, under the plea that on their account the company was 
burdened with the heavy expenses of fortifications and garrisons. In 
case they refused to pay it, he threatened to compel them to do SO. 1 
The disastrous consequences, we shall soon have occasion to relate. 

In tlie mean time, the indomitable New-Englanders had been pushing 
westward, and hail established themselves at a place which the Dutch 

called II leberg, or I Jed Hill, hut to which the English gave the name 

of New Haven ; and so rapidly had the settlement tilled up, that they 
had already a handsome church built, and more than three hundred 
bouses. They had bought large tracts around them and planted numer- 
ous smaller towns. Captain De Vries went on a voyage of observation 
up the Connecticut River, during the summer of 1639, and was agree- 
ably entertained by the English governor at Hartford, which was quite 
a thriving place, with a church and a hundred or more houses. Captain 
De Vries was very frank with his English host, and told him that it 
was not right to take lands which the West India Company had bought 
and paid for. The reply was, that those lands were uncultivated, and no 
effort made to improve them, and it seemed a sin to let such valuable 
property go to waste, when fine crops could he raised with a little care. 
De Vries noticed that the English lived there, to quote his exact words, 
"very soberly." "They only drank three times at a meal, and those 
who got tipsy were whipped on a pole, as thieves were in Holland " ; and 
their whole government was rigorous in the extreme. 

The Dutch held their one small foothold near by ; but it was of very 
little use to them, for the English openly denied even their right to the 
ground about the redoubt. From words it came to blows, and Evert 
Duyckingck, one of the garrison of fourteen men, was cudgeled while 
sowing grain in the spring of 1640. Disgusted with the command of 
a post without adequate force to protect it from insult, Op Dyek resigned 
his office, and Jan Hendricksen Eoesen succeeded him. 

With a boldness fostered by the consciousness of superior numbers, 
smart little towns were started all along the Connecticut River to its 

1 The Amsterdam Chamber denied any knowledge of tins measure. 



92 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

mouth, where a strong fort was in existence, and where Saybrook, under 
the command of Colonel Fenwick, who had just arrived from England, 
accompanied by his beautiful wife, the Lady Alice, had become quite a 
flourishing settlement. On the borders of the Sound, De Vries saw also 
other evidences of English enterprise. At the mouth of the Housatonic 
the village (if Stratford already contained more than fifty houses. Men, 
like stray bees, were beginning to build at Norwalk and Stamford, and 
even at Greenwich two houses were erected. One of these was occupied 
by Captain Daniel Patrick, who had been an officer in the Pequod war, 
and had had ample opportunity for inspecting the country, and who had 
married a Dutch lady at the Hague. The other was occupied by Robert 
Feake, whose wife was the daughter-in-law of Governor Winthrop, 1 and 
who afterward purchased a title to the whole region, and held it for two 
years in defiance of Dutch authority. 

Returning to his plantation on Staten Island, De Vries found it lan- 
guishing for want of proper colonists, because his partner in Holland had 
not fulfilled his agreement to send them. He spent a few days there and 
then visited New Amsterdam, where two vessels had just arrived, one of 
which belonged to the company ; the other was a private ship, laden with 
cattle, and belonged to Captain Jochem Pietersen Kuyter. 
1640. Later in the season, De Vries found a better situation, about six 
Feb. 10. ni jj es aDOVe the fort on the Hudson River, where there were some 
sixty acres of " corn land," and no trees to cut down. There was, be- 
sides, hay enough upon it for two hundred head of cattle. He accom- 
plished its purchase of the Indians, and determined to live half of the 

time there. On the 15th of April, he sailed on a voyage up the 

Hudson, and his circumstantial journal gives a very interesting 
picture of the country along its banks. From this trip he did not return 
until December, and then immediately commenced improving his new 
estate, which he called Vriesendael. 

As yet there were few Dutch colonists east of the Harlem River ; and 

Kieft, rendered anxious by English progress, sent Secretary Van 
Apr 19. rpj en jj 0Ven to p urcnase the group of islands at the mouth of the 
Norwalk River, together with the adjoining territory on the mainland, 
and to erect thereon the standard of the States-General, " so as to effectu- 
ally prevent any other nation's encroachment." These directions were 
executed, and the West India Company thereby obtained the Indian title 

to all the country between the Norwalk and North Rivers. On 

May 10 

the 10th of May of the same year, Kieft also bought of the great 
chief Penhawitiz the territory forming the present county of Kings, on 

1 Robert Feake married the widow of Henry Winthrop. 



PCRVIIA.SE OF INDIAN LANDS. 93 

Long Island. All the lands east of Oyster Bay, which form the county 
of Suffolk, remained, however, in the hands of its aboriginal lords. 

What was the surprise of the governor of New Netherland when, one 
morning, a Scotchman, named Farrett, presented himself at Fort Amster- 
dam and claimed the whole of Long Island, under a commission from the 
Earl of Stirling ! He had already confirmed Lion Gardiner's purchase 
of Gardiner's Island l from the Indians, and empowered him to make and 
put in practice all necessary laws of Church and State. He had made 
an agreement with several persons from Lynn, Massachusetts, by which 
they might settle upon and cultivate any lands on Long Island which 
they should buy of the Indians. Farrett was contemptuously dismissed 
by Kieft ; but the Lynn emigrants soon after arrived at the head of Cow 
Bay, pulled down the Dutch aims, and put up a house very quickly. 
The sachem Penhawitz hurried to New Amsterdam with the news, and 
Van Tienhoven was dispatched with an armed force to arrest the whole 
party and bring them before the governor. Satisfied, however, upon ex- 
amination, that they were not in fault, Kieft dismissed them after they 
had signed an agreement to intrude no more upon Dutch territory. This 
led In the immediate settlement of Southampton; for Farrett discovered 
that the Dutch, although they derided Lord Stirling's claim, were chiefly 
anxious to maintain possession of the western extremity of Long Island, 
and he, with his associates, removed and settled unmolested farther east. 

Up to this time the relations between the Dutch and the Indians had 
been upon the whole friendly. But many of the colonists had neglected 
their farms for the quicker profits of traffic. To prosper in this they had 
allured the savages to their homes, fed them bountifully, and treated them 
to "fire-water." In many instances the jealousies of the latter had been 
excited against each other. They had also been frequently employed as 
house and farm servants by the settlers ; which was unwise, because they 
would sometimes steal, and then run away and tell their tribes about the 
habits, mode of life, and numerical strength of the Dutch. 

The unhappiest thing of all was supplying the red-men with fire-arms. 
The Iroquois warriors at first considered a gun "the devil," and would 
not touch it. Champlain taught them its power, and then they were 
eager to possess it. For a musket they would willingly give twenty 
beaver-skins. For a pound of powder they were glad to barter the value 
of several dollars. It mattered not that the West India Company for- 
bade the traffic under penalty of death, and that their executive officer at 
Manhattan was not in the least averse to capital punishment. Such im- 

1 The price paid for Gardiner's Island was one large black dog, one gun, some powder and 
shot, some rum, and a few Dutch blankets : in value about £5. 



!)4 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

mense profits were too tempting, and the Mohawks were already well 
armed. It was less easy to deal with the river tribes without discovery, 
and the latter began to hate the Dutch in consequence. Kieft's taxes 
were the final blow to their friendship. 

In July, rumors of some intended hostile demonstration reached 
July. 

the governor, and he ordered all the residents of New Amster- 
dam to arm themselves, and, at the firing of three guns, to repair, under 
their respective officers, equipped for warfare, to a place of rendezvous. 
Without waiting to be attacked, he soon found an excuse to become the 
aggressor. It happened that some persons in the company's service, on 
their way to Delaware River in July, had landed at Staten Island for 

w 1 and water, and stolen some swine which had been left in charge of a 

negro by De Vries. The innocent Raritan Indians, who lived twenty 
mdes or more inland, were accused of this theft, and also of having stolen 
the canoe of a trading party. 

Kit-It thought to punish them, and sent Secretary Van Tienhoven, with 
fifty soldiers and twenty sailors, to attack them, and unless they made 
prompt reparation, to destroy their corn. The men accompanying Tien- 
hoven, knowing the governor's temper, were anxious to kill and plunder 
at once. This Tienhoven refused to permit ; but finally, vexed with their 
importunity, he left them, and they attacked the Indians, several of 
whom were killed and their crops destroyed. Thus was the seed sown 
for a long and bloody war. 1 

Meanwhile the directors of the West India Company had not ceased 
wrangling with each other and with the patroons; but they agreed upon a 
new Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions, which amended materially the 
obnoxious instrument of 1629. All good inhabitants of New Netherland 
were to select lauds and form colonies, to be limited to one mde along 
the shore of a bay or navigable river, and two miles into the country. 
The right of way by land or water was to be free to all, and disputes 
were to be settled by the governor, under all circumstances. The feudal 
privileges of jurisdiction, and the exclusive right of hunting, fishing, 
fowling, grinding corn, etc., w r ere continued to the patroons as an estate 
of inheritance, with descent to females as well as males. Manufacturers 
were permitted. Another class of proprietors was soon established. 
Masters or Colonists they were called, and were such as should convey 
fine-grown persons to New Netherland, anil might occupy one hundred 
acres of land. Commercial privdeges were very greatly extended, al- 

1 Brccden Raedt. Chalmers's Political Annals. De Vries, in 11 N. Y. H. S. Col. Albany 
Records. Kieft is accused of having given to the soldiers themselves, at the moment of em- 
barkation, even harsher orders than he gave to Van Tienhoven. O'Callaghan, I. 227, note. 



77//: SIX MURDERERS. 95 

though the company adhered to the system of onerous imposts for its 
own benefit. The company renewed their pledge to furnish negroes, and 
appoint and support competent officers, " for the protection of the good 

and the punishment of the wicked." The governor and his council were 
still to act as an orphans' ami surrogate's court, t<> judge in criminal and 
religious affairs, ami administer law ami justice. The Dutch Reformed 
religion was to be publicly taught ami sanctioned, and ministers and 
schoolmasters were to be sustained. 

The people in and around New Amsterdam were generally supplied 
with necessary goods of all descriptions from the company's store. 
But it was well known that they were sold at an advance of fifty per 
cent on their cost, and many were the complaints. The store-keeper, 
Ulrich Lupoid, who had never been regarded as trustworthy^ was finally 
detected in extortion, and removed from his position. The first liquor 
ever made in this country was produced from a private still on Staten 
Island, erected by Kieft in 1640, and run by Willem Hendricksen, for 
twenty-five guilders per month. 

In the early part of the year 1641, great excitement was oc- ig4i 
casioned by the intelligence that a murder had been committed 
near the fort. Six of the company's slaves had killed one of their fel- 
low-negroes. There was no evidence against them; and so torture, the 
common expedient of the Dutch law in such cases, was resorted to for 
the purj lose of extorting self-accusation. To avoid this terrible engine 
the negroes confessed they had all jointly committed the deed. The 
court was in a dilemma. Laborers were scarce, and six were too many 
to lose. Lots were drawn, in order to determine which should be exe- 
cuted ; for justice could not be defrauded. The lot fell on a stalwart 
fellow, who was called " the giant," and he was sentenced to be hanged. 
January 24th was the great day appointed for his execution, and the 
whole community turned out to witness the terrible scene. He was 
placed on a ladder in the fort, with two strong halters about his neck. 
The fatal signal was given, the ladder pulled from under him, when both 
ropes broke, and the negro fell to the ground. The bystanders cried so 
loudly for pardon that the governor granted the culprit his life, under a 
pledge of future good conduct. 

Kieft was constantly issuing new municipal regulations, and 

■ ' April 11. 

there was great need. We find, under date of April 11th, one 
by which " the tapping of beer during divine service, and after one o'clock 
at oight," was forbidden ; whereat the Dutch were as much exercised as 
their German cousins have been in later times. He also took measures 
to prevent the deterioration of the currency, which was in a mixed state. 



96 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



The coins of Europe were rarely seen here. Wampum was in use, hut 
Apru is. had no standard value, until he fixed it hy a law. To promote 
sept. 5. agriculture, the governor established two fairs to be held annu- 
ally ; one of cattle on the loth of October, and one of hogs on the 1st 
of November. 

In March of that year, Myndert Myndertsen Van der Horst secured a 
plantation, about an hour's walk from Vriesendael, where De Vries was 
busy putting up buildings, planning orchards and gardens, and making 
his property singularly attractive. It extended north from Newark Bay 
towards Tappaen, including the valley of the Hackinsack Eiver ; the 
headquarters of the settlement being only five or six hundred paces from 
the village of the Hackinsack Indians. 1 Van der Horst's people immedi- 
ately erected a small fort, to be garrisoned by a few soldiers. In Au- 
gust, Comelis Melyn returned to New Amsterdam with a full-fledged 
grant from the West India Company to settle on Staten Island. This 
astonished De Vries, who knew that the company was aware of his own 
purchase of the whole of that property. Kieft, who had his distillery 
and a buckskin manufactory already there, persuaded the liberal-minded 
patroon to permit Melyn to establish a plantation near the Narrows, and 
then conferred upon the spirited Belgian a formal patent as patroon over 
all the island not reserved by De Vries. A small redoubt was immedi- 
ately erected upon the eastern headland, where a flag was raised when- 
ever a vessel arrived in the lower bay. This is the first record of a marine 
telegraph in New York Harbor. 2 

1 The name of the Indian tribe was Achkjnkeshacky, which was corrupted by the early 
settlers into Hackinsack. 

De Vries, 11 X. Y. If. S. Col., I. 264. O'Callaghan I. 228, 229. Brodhead, I. 314. 
Albany Records. 




INDIAN YEXGEAXCE. 97 



CHAPTER VII. 

1641 - 16-43. 

INDIAN VENGEANCE. 

Indian' Vengeance. — The First Popular Assembly. — Kieft's Disappointment.— 
Death of Peter Minuet. — Effort of the "Twelve Men" to Institute Re- 
forms. — The Governor's Proclamation. —The Dutch and English. — Disi i -- 
sion of the Boundary Question. — A Flaw in the Title to New Netherland. 
— Religious Persecution. —The First Tavern. —The New Church. — Raising 
Money at a Wedding. — The First English Secretary. — "The Year of 
Blood." — The Blood Atonement. — The Shrovetide Dinner-Party. — The 
Inhuman Massacre. — General Uprising of the Indians. — Overtures for 
Peace. — The Hollow Truck. — The Second Representative Body. — A Page 
of Horrors. 

BY this time the effects of Kieft's imprudences with the Indians 
were fast becoming apparent. The Raritans cajoled him with 
peaceful messages, Wit suddenly attacked De Vries's unprotected planta- 
tion on Staten Island, killed four of his planters and burned all i 6 4i. 
his buildings. Folly begets folly. The governor no sooner heard June, 
how the Raritans had avenged their wrongs, than he determined upon 
their extermination. In an ostentatious proclamation, he offered 
a bounty of ten fathoms of wampum for the head of any or 
every one of the tribe, and twenty fathoms for each head of the actual 
murderers. Some of the River Indians were incited by these bounties, 
and attacked the Raritans. In the autumn, a chief of the Haverstraia 
tribe came one day in triumph to the fort, and exhibited a dead man's 
hand hanging on a stick, which he presented to Kieft, as the hand of 
the chief who had killed the I hitch. 

Meanwhile Wood had been shed on the island of Manhattan. 

Aug. 

An old man, Claes Smits, lived in a little house near DeutaJ Bay, 
and worked at the trade of a wheelwright. The nephew of the Indian 
who was murdered near the Fresh Water Pond during Minuet's adminis- 
tration, and who, as a boy, had sworn vengeance, went to the old man's 
house under pretense of bartering some beaver-skins for duffels, and. 



98 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



while the unsuspecting Smits was stooping over the great chest in which 
he kept his goods, the savage seized an ax and killed him with one blow, 
then plundered the house and escaped. Kieft sent at once to the chief 
of the Weekquaesgeek tribe, to demand satisfaction. The latter refused 
to give up the criminal, on the ground that he was but an avenger, after 
the manner of his race. Some soldiers were then sent out from 
U£ ' ' the fort to arrest the assassin, but they could not find him. 
Kieft was exasperated and would have openly declared war, careless 
of probable consequences, had not some of his friends told him of the 
state of public 
feeling, and how 
the people ac- 
cused him of 
aiming to provoke 
hostilities on pur- 
pose to make " a 
wrong reckoning 
with the com- 
pany"; even 
charging him with 
personal coward- 
ice, for they said, 
" He knew full 

well that lie COUld Du,ch Architecture in New Amsterdam. 

secure his own life in a good fort." He, therefore, paused in his mad 
course, and summoned together all the patroons, masters, and 
Aug ' 23 ' heads of families in the vicinity to the fort, "to resolve upon 
something of the first necessity." This was the pioneer of popular meet- 
ings upon Manhattan Island. 

When the people assembled on the day appointed, the governor 
ug ' submitted three propositions. 

1st. "Was it not just that the recent murder of Claes Smits should be 
avenged by destroying the Indian village where the murderer belonged, if he was 
not given up 1 " 

2d. " In what manner ought this to be accomplished?" 

3d. " By whom should it be effected \ " 

The assembly, after some preamble and a grave discussion of the ques- 
tions, chose twelve men out of their number to co-operate with the gov- 
ernor and council. The names of this first representative body were : 
Captain De Vries, Jacques Bentyn, Jan Dam, Hendrick .Tansen, Jacob 




KIEFTS DISAPPOINTMENT. !»!) 

Stofl'elsen, Maryn Adriaensen, Abram Molenaer, Frederick Lubbertsen, 
Jocheni Pietersen, Gerrit Dircksen, George Rapaelje, and Abrain Planck. 
De Vries was chosen president. Their counsel was for preserving peace 
with the Indians as long as possible. They believed the murder should 
be avenged, but thought " God and the opportunity " ought to he. consid- 
ered. The Dutch were scattered all about the country, and the cattle 
were in the woods. It was impolitic to get involved in war with the 
Indians, while there was no adequate means of defense. They, therefore, 
recommended that the governor send again, yea, for the second or third 
time, until he obtained the surrender of the prisoner, that he might pun- 
ish him as he should see tit. 

Kieft was greatly dissatisfied with their verdict. He had not willingly 
made this concession to popular rights, but rather by force of circum- 
stances, and to serve as "a cloak of protection from responsibility or 
censure"; for he fully intended to attack the Indians, and chafed under 
the hindrance which was thus put in his way. Before winter set 

. Nov 1 

in he called the " Twelve Men " together a,L;ain, to confer upon the 
same subject, and again they counseled patience. De Vries was opposed 
to war with the Indians under any circumstance's. He reminded 
the governor of the sentiments of the Amsterdam Chamber, whose 
order had been distinctly expressed, " Keep peace with the savages 
and the uneasy and indiscreet chief magistrate was silenced, but not 
convinced. 

Durini; the spring prior to these events, the English at New 

April 1 

Haven had made an effort to appropriate a portion of the Dutch 
territory on the South River. Some fifty families in all had become 
dissatisfied with their Connecticut River homes, on account of the sick- 
liness of the climate, and with their effects sailed, about the first of April, 
in a ship belonging to George Lambertsen, a New Haven merchant, ami 
put into New Amsterdam on their way South to communicate their 
designs to the Dutch authorities. Kieft warned them not to build or 
plant within the limits of New Netherland, and they promised to select 
some spot over which the States-General had no authority. They were 
allowed to go on their way, ami shortly after fortified a post on the 
Schuylkill. 

In December, news came of the death of Peter Minuet, who had 
guarded his little Swedish colony well for three years, although 

' Dec. 

they bad once or twice suffered great privations. They had been 
reinforced by a party of Dutch from Holland, and also by a deputation 
of Swedes, who purchased additional lands from the Indians, and, in 
token of the sovereignty of their queen, set up "the arms and crown 



100 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

of Sweedland." Peter Hollaendare, a Swede, succeeded to the chief 
government after the death of Minuet. 
1642. As soon as the rivers were frozen over, Kieft summoned the 
Jan. 21. "Twelve Men" into council the third time, and insisted upon 
their acceding to his wishes in relation to the Indians. As the murderer 
had not been given up, they yielded, though reluctantly. Their assistance 
in the matter was promised only on condition that the governor should 
lead the expedition in person, and that the expenses of it, and the 
necessary care of the wounded men and their families afterward, should 
be defrayed by the company. 

During the same session, the " Twelve Men " took occasion to demand 
certain reforms in the government. In the Fatherland, domineering 
arrogance was restrained by the system of rotation in office. The 
self-reliant men who had won their country from the sea, and their lib- 
erties from the relaxing grasp of feudal prerogative, knew that they 
covdd govern themselves, and they did govern themselves. The 
" Twelve," who now sat in judgment, were of the same stock, distin- 
guished not only by talent, but by local experience ; and although they 
had voluntarily pledged themselves to submit to the government of the 
West India Company, they believed it to have been more by neglect than 
ill-will that such a conceited little potentate had been placed over them, 
and they knew him to be unworthy of so much trust. He had often been 
heard to compare himself to the Prince of Orange, as above the law; 
hut the grievance which caused the most feeling was the mock council, 
which in reality was no council at all. He appointed all pubbc officers, 
except such as came with commissions from Holland, made laws, imposed 
taxes, levied fines, inflicted penalties, incorporated towns, and could affect 
the price of any man's property at pleasure by changing the value of 
wampum. He also decided all civil and criminal cpiestions without the 
aid of jury, and settled controversies and appeals from inferior courts. 
The memorial, which had been previously prepared, was presented, with 
all due deference, to the governor. It called for an addition of four men 
to the council, two of whom should lie chosen each year from the " Twelve 
Men" elected by the people, and demanded that judicial proceedings 
should be had only before a full board; that the militia shoidd be mus- 
tered annually ; that the people should have the same privilege as in Hol- 
land of visiting vessels from abroad, and the right to trade in neighboring 
ibices subject to the duties of the company; that the English should be 
prohibited from selling cattle within the province, and that the value of 
the currency should be considerably increased. 

Kieft was confounded. He regretted exceedingly having made any 



THE GOVERNORS PROCLAMATION. 101 

show of parliamentary government. But he was also politic, and he 
replied to the assembly that he expected a complete council in one of 
the first ships from Holland, and graciously acceded to all the other 
requirements, without, however, fulfilling a single promise. Then he 
wound up the meeting adroitly by telling the gentlemen that they had 
never been invested with greater powers than to give advice respecting 
the murder of Claes Smits. 

A short time afterward, the following poster appeared in various 

01 L *■ Feb. 18. 

places : — 

"Whereas, The people have at our request commissioned 'Twelve Men' to 
communicate their good council and advice concerning the murder of (Lies 
Smits, which now being done, we thank them for the trouble they have taken, 
and shall make use of their written advice, with God's help and fitting time ; 
and we propose no move meetings, as such tend to dangerous consequences, and 
to the great injury, both of the country and of our authority ; — we, therefore, 
do hereby forbid the calling of any assemblies or meetings, of whatever sort, 
without our express order, on pain of punishment for disobedience. 

"Done in Fort Amsterdam, February 18th, 1G42, in New Netherland. 

" WlLHELM KlEPT." 

Having disposed of the "Twelve Men," Kieft made preparations 

... , -5 T ,, March 5. 

and dispatched a party of eighty soldiers, under hnstgn Van 
Dyck, against the Weekquaesgeeks, with orders to exterminate them by 
tire and sword. The guide professed to know the way to the Indian 
village, but he lost the track just at nightfall; and, as they had crossed 
the Harlem River with no little difficulty, the commanding officer finally 
lost his temper, and the twin losses resulted in an overwhelming gain, 
for the party returned to New Amsterdam innocent of the death of a 
single Indian. The mortifying failure enraged the governor ; but the 
Indians were quick to discover the trail of the soldiers, and were so much 
alarmed as to come at once to New Amsterdam and sue for peace. 

March 28 

A treaty was concluded with them, one oi the stipulations oi 
which was the surrender of the murderer, — a promise which, either from 
unwillingness or inability, was never fulfilled 

This treaty was scarcely concluded before rumors were afloat that the 
Connecticut savages were planning to destroy the colonists throughout 
New England. Hartford and New Haven concerted measures of defence, 
and anxiety and alarm were everywhere felt. Under these circumstam es 
the settlers at Greenwich thought it wise, as a measure of self- 

. . April 9. 

protection, to submit themselves to the government oi New Neth- 
erlands and Captain Patrick and his friends, after swearing allegiance, 
were invested with all the rights of patroons. But the difficulties be- 



102 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

tween the Dutch garrison and the English at Hartford continued ; and 
Kieft, finding that his protests were of no effect, prohibited all trade 

April 3. ° 

and commercial intercourse with the Hartford people. He si«m 
after heard that the New Haven party, who went to the South 

May 15. . 

Eiver, were living upon the company's lands without his permis- 
sion. He immediately dispatched two sloops with a strong force to require 
them to withdraw, and, in case of refusal, to arrest them and de- 
*" stroy their trading-posts. These orders were executed so promptly 
that the English had not two hours to prepare for their departure, and 
they were brought with their goods to New Netherlands and afterwards 
landed at New Haven. The excitement on the subject there was intense ; 
particularly after Lambertsen, who was considered by the Dutch as the 
principal instigator of the injury to their trade, had been compelled, 
while passing New Amsterdam, to give an account of what pel- 
' tries he had obtained on the Delaware, and to pay duties on 
them all. 

The Hartford authorities found the prohibition against intercourse with 
the New Amsterdam settlers very inconvenient, to say the least. 

May 11 . 

' and finally sent a committee to confer with Kieft on the subject. 
He received them pompously, conceded nothing, talked about the an- 
tiquity of the Dutch title to the country on the Connecticut Eiver, and 
graciously offered to lease to them a portion of the lands there, on 
certain terms. The ambassadors went home to report, having accom- 
plished no part of their mission. Both the Hartford and the New 
Haven people were more incensed than ever, and vented their annoyance 
upon every Dutch man or woman who came in their way. The agents 
from New England who went to London about that time brought the 
subject into general notice there, and it was discussed with no little 
acrimony by the courtiers of Charles I. Lord Say told the Dutch Min- 
ister that the conduct of the New-Netherlanders was haughty and unbear- 
able in the extreme, and dropped a few meaning hints in regard to their 
being forcibly ejected from the Connecticut Valley, if the difficulties were 
not shortly arranged. The Dutch Minister wrote to his government ; the 
States-General took the matter up, and much bitterness appears in the 
subsequent correspondence, although, as in previous instances, the ques- 
tion was left unsettled. 

It is a singular fact that, while the Dutch in New Netherland were at 
this time so few in proportion to their wide and fine territory, the 
English had spread themselves over a great part of New England, and 
were, to all outward appearances, far the more prosperous. In natural 
advantages New Netherland immeasurably outrivaled New England, 



DISCUSSION OF THE BOUNDARY QUESTION. 103 

and the difference in the progress of the two colonies may be traced 
directly to the want of wisdom by which the statesmen at the Hague 
endowed a commercial corporation with the maintenance of a depend- 
ency for their own material gain. New England was founded in religious 
persecution. As it could contribute little resource to the mother-coun- 
try, under any circumstances, it was allowed to work out its own combi- 
nations of policy in Church and State. The mere tints of a colonial 
condition tend to entail the same species of subjection which ordinarily 
appertains to infancy in a family: hut the New England colony stands 
out exceptional in history, as having elicited no particular interest in any 
quarter of the Old World as to its possible future value, and religious 
controversies and religious education occupied a reading population who 

were content with a hare living, and st 1 quite aloof from mercantile 

speculations. On the other hand. New Netherland was treated solelj 
as ;m investment for the eventual accumulation of wealth at home, 
while at the same time the enormous monopoly of the West India 
Company comprehended interests in comparison with which the im- 
mediate affairs of a little State were esteemed insignificant. 

When the New-Englanders crossed the supposed boundary lines the 
Dutch in power wondered why their impotent protests were unheeded. 
Those protests were based upon the supposed right of the West India 
Company to the territory which they claimed, and the quarrels thus en- 
gendered produced some interesting state papers. Later, John De Witt 
made the most strenuous efforts to establish a good understanding with 
Oliver Cromwell, and sent some of his ablest diplomatists to the Protec- 
tor's court. The subject of the boundary line of New Netherland at- 
tracted much attention. In the several documents which were drawn 
up by the West India Company to substantiate their rights, the principal 
historical statements were audacious fictions, and the writer of them was 
evidently aware that there was a Haw in the Dutch title, and thai, m a 
court of law, not a foot of the vast territory could be held as a bona fide 
possession. The Dutch ministers to England must have entertained sim- 
ilar views, judging from the gingerly care with which they handled the 
delicate and perplexing question. 

As the New England settlements grew more rapidly, and their in- 
stitutions received more attention from the people than those of New 
Netherland, so also did the spirit of intolerance take root among them, 
until they became the most relentless persecutors of the age. "The 
arm of the civil government," says Judge Story, " was constantly em- 
ployed in support of the denunciations of the Church, and, without its 
forms, the Inquisition existed in substance, with a full share of its terrors 



104 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YOliK. 

and its violence." Many important families were driven by this means 
into rinding homes elsewhere ; and not a few, perceiving the larger liberty 
of opinion which would be vouchsafed in the Dutch dominion, made 
application to Kieft, and were welcomed right heartily, being required 
only to take the same oath of allegiance as the Dutch subjects. Roger 
Williams, a promising young minister, whose ideas of religious liberty 
shocked the General Court of Massachusetts to such an extent that they 
sentenced him to perpetual exile, went into the wilderness of Rhode 
Island and commenced the settlement of that State. That was as early 
as 1635. Others were banished through the workings of the same pe- 
culiar ecclesiastical system. Annie Hutchinson, who was a lady of rare 
cultivation, and styled by her contemporaries "a masterpiece of wit 
and wisdom," was accused of " weakening the hands and hearts of the 
people towards the ministers," because she maintained the "paramount 
authority of private judgment." She was worried by her clerical exam- 
iners for several hours, although the verdict had evidently been agreed 
upon before the session commenced, and at last she was declared " unfit 
for society," and ordered to depart from the province. She went, at first, 
to Rhode Island, accompanied by quite a number of families of personal 
friends, and persons of the same phase of religious belief. But fearing 
the implacable vengeance of Massachusetts would reach her even there, 
she removed to New Netherland in 1642, selecting for her residence 
the point now known as Pelham Neck, near New Rochelle, which re- 
ceived the name of " Annie's Hoeck." 1 Near by her settled John Throg- 
morton and thirty-five English families. Kieft granted them all the 
franchises which the charter of 1640 allowed, with freedom to worship 
God in the manner which suited them best. 

The terms were so agreeable that a large emigration in the same direc- 
tion would have speedily set in, had not the General Court of Massa- 
' chusetts taken alarm, and sought to dissuade their own citizens from 
seeking thus to strengthen " their doubtful Dutch neighbors." But they 
went on with their political and moral and religious instruction, acting 
most self-complacently on the conviction that their system of teaching- 
was the very best in the world, and their interpretation of the Scriptures 
the one and only true way to Heaven. 

When, at rare intervals, some bold progressionist tried to open the eyes 
of the people to the pretenses of pompous ignorance masked in the guise 
of scholarship and sanctity, or to promulgate some new tenet or article of 
faith, they were stricken so quickly that the places that had known 
them knew them not much longer. Rev. Francis Doughty was dragged 

1 Hoeck is a Dutch word signifying point. It is sometimes spelt Hoek. 



THE FIRST TAVERN. 105 

from an assembly at Cohasset for venturing to say in his sermon that 
"Abraham's children should have been baptized." A large number of 
his friends determined to join him on a pilgrimage to New Netherland. 
They bought more than thirteen thousand acres at Newtown, Long 
Island, near where a number of persons from Lynn and Ipswich had 
settled a short time before. For this large landed property Kieft 
granted them an absolute ground-brief, and afforded every facility in 
his power for the erection of substantial houses and the proper cultiva- 
tion of the soil. 

These accessions to the population of New Netherland were of marked 
value to the prosperity of the province. But there were other 
arrivals about the same time which were less to be desired. p 
A great number of fugitive servants, both from New England and 
Virginia, flocked into New Amsterdam, trying to get employment. 
They were full of mischief, idle, indolent, and dishonest, and occasioned 
great trouble and complaint among the people. Kieft found it neces- 
sary to issue new police regulations, one of which was to forbid any 
family giving to strangers more than one meal, or more than one night's 
lodging, without first sending notice of the same to the governor. 

It would seem that visitors had hitherto been entertained by the 
citizens. Noteworthy persons had enjoyed the hospitality of the gov- 
ernor himself. The growth of the town, and the increasing number of 
travelers, rendered this a great inconvenience. The subject of building 
a public house had been for some time agitated, and Kieft finally con- 
cluded to erect it at the company's expense. It was completed this 
year, a great clumsy stone tavern, and it was located on the northeast 
corner of Pearl Street and Coenties Slip, fronting the East River. 

A short time after this famous old building had been put in use, 
Captain De Vries was one day dining with the governor, as was his 
custom when be happened to be at the fort, and, in the course of con- 
versation, the host congratulated himself upon the architecture and 
workmanship of the new edifice. De Vries said it was, indeed, an ex- 
cellent thing for travelers, but that the next thing they wanted was a 
decent church for the people. In New England, the first thing they did, 
after building some dwellings, was to erect a fine church; and now, 
when the English passed New Amsterdam, they oidy saw a " mean 
barn," in which the Dutch worshiped their Creator. The West India 
Company had the credit of being very zealous in protecting the Reformed 
Church 1 against Spanish tyranny, and there was no reason why their 
settlements shoidd not be supplied with church edifices. There were 



106 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 




Stadthuys. 

materials enough at hand, — tine oak timber and good building stone, 
and lime made from oyster-shells, far better than the lime in Holland. 

Kieft was interested, and asked who would like to superintend such a 
building ? 

l)e Vries told him that no doubt some of the friends of the Reformed 
religion could be found who would be only too glad to do so. 

Kieft, smiling, told De Vries that he supposed he was one of them, 
and asked if he would contribute one hundred guilders to the enterprise. 

De Vries very quickly responded in the affirmative ; and then they 
decided that Jochem Pietersen Kuyter, who was a good Calvinist, and 
had plenty of workmen, would be the most suitable person to procure 
timber, and Jan Jansen Dam, who lived near the fort, should be the 
fourth one of the consistory to superintend the building. The governor 
promised to furnish a few thousand guilders of the company's money, 
and the rest was to be raised by private subscription. 

A few days afterward, the daughter of Dominie Bogardus was mar- 
ried, and, at the wedding party, the governor and Captain De 
Vries, thinking it a rare opportunity to raise the requisite amount 
of funds, took advantage of the good-humor of the guests, and passed 
round the paper, with their own names heading the list. As each one 
present desired to appear well in the eyes of his neighbor, a handsome 



May. 










s s 



THE FIRST ENGLISH SECRETARY. 



107 



May 20. 







sof Fort, w.th Go 



sum was contributed. In the morning, some few appealed to the gov- 
ernor for permission to reconsider the matter ; but his Excellency would 
permit no names to be erased from the paper. 

An arrangement was at once effected with John and Richard 
Ogden, 1 of Stamford, for the mason-work of a stone church, sev- 
enty-two feet long, fifty wide, and sixteen high, at one thousand dollars 
for the job, and a gratuity of forty dollars more should the work be 

satisfactory. The agreement was 
signed and sealed on the 20th of 
May. The church was to be lo- 
cated in the fort, that it might not 
be exposed to Indian depreda- 
tions; although many objected, on 
the ground that the fort was over- 
crowded already. The walls were 
soon up, and the roof covered with 
oak shingles, which, from exposure 
to the weather, became blue like 
slate. Kieft caused to be erected 
in the front wall a marble slab with this inscription : — 

"Anno Domini, 1642, 
wllhelm k.ieft dlrecteur general. 
Heeft de gemeente desen tesipel doen bodwen." 

When the fort was demolished, in 17S7, to make room for the Govern- 
ment House, this slab was discovered buried in the earth, and was re- 
moved to the belfry of the old Dutch Church in Garden Street, where it 
remained until the burning of that church, in 1835, when it totally dis- 
appeared. 

It was now becoming accessary to observe regularity in drawing 
boundary and division lines; hence Andries Hudde was appointed sur- 
veyor, with a salary of eighty dollars per annum and a few additional 
fees. The first record of the sale of city lots, we find this year. There 
is one extant, showing that Abraham Van Steenwyck sells to Anthony 
V;ui Fees a lot on Bridge Street, thirty feet front by one hundred anil ten 
deep, for the sum of nine dollars and sixty tents '.- 

The influx into the Dutch settlements of persons who spoke only 
the English language occasioned no little embarrassment. Kieft himself 

1 These Ogdens were the ancestors of the present families of that name in New York and 
New Jersey. Alb. Bee, III. 31. O'Callaghan, I. 261, 262. i\". 1'. H. S. Col., II. 293. 

2 The street was not then named. 



108 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

could speak it fluently, but many of his officers did not understand a 
word, and it was finally thought best to have an official interpreter. 
George Baxter received the appointment, at an annual salary of two hun- 
dred and fifty guilders. 

Meanwhile, Adrian Van der Donck, a lineal descendant of Adrian Van 
Bergen, a graduate of Leyden University, and a man of acknowledged 
scholarship, had, in 1641, leased the westerly half of Castle Island. 
He was appointed sheriff of the colony at Rensselaerswick, and spe- 
cially instructed to repress the spirit of lawlessness which seemed to 
pervade that district. He went to work energetically. He made it his 
first business to induce the patroon to send over the learned clergyman, 
Dr Johannes Megapolensis, " for the edifying improvement of the inhabi- 
tants and Indians thereabouts." The Amsterdam Chamber approved the 
call : the reverend gentleman was promised a new church and parsonage, 
and a small theological library, together with an annual salary of one 
thousand guilders. A number of families accompanied him to his new 
field of labor. They arrived at New Amsterdam in August, 1642. 
' From that point Van Rensselaer had requested that the further 
transportation of the party should be left entirely to the advice and dis- 
cretion of Ivieft, to whom he sent, as a present for his trouble, a hand- 
some saddle and bridle. To obviate as much as possible the dangers of 
life among the Indians, the patroon required that all his colonists, except 
the farmers and tobacco-planters, should live near each other, so as to 
form a church neighborhood. Ships sometimes remained at Manhattan 
a fortnight before news of their arrival reached Rensselaerswick ; but in 
this instance prompt measures were resorted to, and by the 11th of 
the month the names of the new settlers had been registered at their 
destination by Arendt Van Corlear, the commissary. 

It was about the same time that intelligence of the capture of some 
French missionaries by the Iroquois reached Fort Orange. With 
characteristic Dutch benevolence, Van Corlear and two stout- 
hearted friends went on horseback to the Mohawk country to attempt 
their rescue. They carried presents, which were thankfully received by 
the great warriors, who saluted them with musket-shots from each of 
their castles as they approached, fed them with turkeys during their stay, 
and seemed greatly pleased with their visit. Van Corlear invited the 
chiefs into council, and urged the release of their prisoners, one of whom 
was a celebrated Jesuit scholar. Their reply was, " We shall show you 
every friendship in our power, but on this subject we shall be silent." 
Several days were spent to no purpose. Six hundred guilders' worth of 
goods were offered for the Frenchmen's ransom, and coldly refused. Van 



THE BLOOD ATONEMENT. 109 

Corlear's eloquence only elicited from the Indians a promise not to kill 
their prisoners; and then the baffled diplomats set out for Fort Orange, 
conducted by an embassy of ten armed savages. They had hardly de- 
parted from the encampment, when the restrained braves clamored for 
blood, and one of the Frenchmen was struck dead with a tomahawk ; 
but the life of Father Jacques was spared, although his subsequent suf- 
ferings, throughout a dreary winter, among a class of vindictive savages, 
who hated the cross and reviled his holy zeal, were most intense. 

The year that followed was emphatically " a year of blood." It 
was ushered in with the wildest stories of a general war by the 
New England and New Netherland Indians against the English ami the 
Dutch. If a benighted traveler halloed in the woods, a panic was im- 
mediately caused, lest savages were torturing some captive. The fireside 
gossips contributed greatly to the general anxiety and terror by accusing 
the Indians of trying to poison and bewitch those in authority. Thought- 
ful men censured Kieft severely for having allowed the colonists to settle 
wherever they liked, all over the country, so that now they were almost. 
entirely defenseless. He had done nothing to prepare them for war; he 
had not even a sufficient stock of powder to allow each colonist a half- 
pound, if it shoidd be required. 

And war, with all its horrors, was on the wing. It came soon, 

, , . -. , January. 

surely and swiftly. Captain De Vries, while rambling through 
the woods near his plantation at Vriesendael, met a drunken Indian. 
The savage stroked the patroon over his arms, in token of friendship, and 
called him "a good chief," and then said he had come from Van der 
Horst's place at Hackinsack, where they had sold him brandy, and stolen 

his beaver coat. The enraged savage vowed a hi ly revenge, and the 

peace-loving De Vries tried in vain to soothe him. Before night, he had 
shot Garret Jansen Van Vorst, who was thatching the roof of one of 
Van der Horst's houses. The chiefs of the Hackinsacks and Eecka- 
wancks hurried to Vriesendael to tell the news, and counsel with De 
Vries, whom they held in the highest esteem : they would have gone to 
the governor, but were afraid he might detain them as prisoners. De 
Vries, however, assured them that the latter wotdd be best, and accom- 
panied them in person to the fort, where they made their confession and 
offered two hundred fathoms of wampum, a blood atonement of money, as 
a purchase for peace. This universal custom among the Indians of North 
America was in singular accordance with the usages of Greece : — 

" If a brother bleed, 
On just atonement we remit the deed ; 
A sire the slaughter of the son forgives, 
The price of blood discharged, the murderer lives." 



110 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

The chiefs deplored the murder, but pleaded for the murderer. They 
told Kieft that he was the son of a chief; that brandy should not have 
been sold him, for he was not used to it, and it crazed him. " Even your 
owu men," they said, " get drunk and fight with knives ; if you will sell 
no more strong drink to the Indians, you will have no more murders," — 
an early warning which the whites would have done well to observe, even 
to this day. Kieft refused to accept any expiation less than the head of 
the fugitive, and the Indians would not bind themselves to surrender 
him ; for they said he had gone two days' journey away among the 
Taukitekes, and it would be impossible to overtake him. The governor 
immediately sent a peremptory message to Pacham, the chief of the Tan- 
kitekes, for the surrender of the criminal. 

Before the demand could possibly have been acceded to, under 

Feb. 19. I J > 

any circumstances, a baud of Mohawks made a descent upon the 
Weekcpiaesgeek and Tappaen tribes, for the purpose of levying tribute. 
These Indians were terror-stricken, and came Hying, half naked, to the 
Dutch for protection, leaving seventy of their number dead aud mauy of 
their women and children captives. They were kindly received in New 
Amsterdam. They seemed to have almost supreme faith in the superior 
power of the white man, — a confidence which, by a wise policy, might 
have been strengthened. But public sentiment was divided. De Vries, at 
the head of one party, breathed kindness and caution in every syllable he 
uttered. Others sympathized with Kieft in his insane wish to extermi- 
nate the savages. Some inkling of the state of feeling must have reached 
the Indians, for they suddenly scattered in various directions ; some flying 
to Pavonia, some to Vriesendael, and some to Corlear's bouwery. 

A few days after, there was a Shrovetide dinner-party at the 

house of Jan Jansen Dam, the governor being present ; and nearly 
every person in the company became merry with wine. The chief topic 
of conversation was the Indians. Secretary Van Tienhoven, at the sug- 
gestion of Dam, Adriaensen, aud Planck, drew up a petition to the gov- 
ernor, urging in the name of the "Twelve Men" an immediate attack upon 
the defenseless savages, " whom God had thus delivered into their hands." 
The paper was no sooner read, than Kieft, in a significant toast, an- 
nounced approaching hostilities. His next move was to dispatch Van Tien- 
hoven and Corporal Hans Steen to Pavonia, to reconnoiter the situation. 

Consternation cpaickly took the place of hilarity. Dominie Bogardus 
hastened to the governor, sharply reproved him for his "hot-headed 
rashness," and foretold certain consequences. The usually unmoved and 
dignified Dr. La Moutague pleaded with Kieft excitedly, for a postpone- 
ment of his terrible purpose. "Wait, for God's sake," he exclaimed, 



GENERAL UPRISING OF THE INDIANS. Ill 

" until the arrival of the next ship from Holland ! " Captain De Vries 
raised his voice in anxious entreaty, and also in persuasive argument. 
He told Kieft that the petition was not from the " Twelve Men " ; only 
three had signed it ; all the rest were opposed to such a dangerous pro- 
ceeding. Words, however, were thrown away upon the obstinate govern- 
or. He had made up his mind. De Vries walked home with him, and 
talked incessantly; but Kieft only smiled, and under pretense of showing 
the Captain his new parlor, which he had just completed, asked him into 
the hall upon the side of the house, where the soldiers could be seen pre- 
paring to start for Pavonia. " My order has gone forth," he said, "and 
cannot be recalled." 

The story of that night is a blot upon the pages of New Netherlands 
history. It was the most shocking massacre that ever disgraced a civil- 
ized nation. Sergeant Rodolf crossed with his troops to Pavonia, and 
butchered eighty Indians in their sleep, sparing not a woman or a child. 
It makes humanity blush to record such an atrocious deed. Another 
band of troops marched to Corlear's Hook, and murdered forty Indians 
who were encamped there. Not one was spared, and every cry for mercy 
was unheeded. 

De Vries sat all night by the kitchen fire in the governor's house, with 
an aching heart. The shrieks of the hapless victims reached his ears 
from Pavonia, while a solemn stillness settled over New Amsterdam. All 
at once an Indian and his squaw appeared in the doorway, and, overcome 
with terror, asked him to hide them in the fort. They lived near Vries- 
endael, and had escaped in a small skill'. As De Vries rose to meet 
them, they exclaimed, "The Mohawks have fallen upon us!" "No," 
said I >e Vries, pityingly, " no Indians have done this ; it is the work of the 
I hitch. It is no time to hide yourselves in the fort " ; and leading them 
to the gate, he directed them towards the north, and watched 
them until they disappeared in the woods. 

The extraordinary conquerors returned at sunrise with thirty prisoners 
and the heads of several of their victims. Kieft praised them for 
their valor, and there was much shaking of hands and many con- 
gratulations. 

The following day, a party of Dutch and English went over to Pavonia 
to pillage the stricken encampment. In vain the soldiers on guard 
warned them of the consequences. Dirk Straatmaker and his wife were 
both killed by some concealed Indians, whose wigwam they were robbing, 
and several others very narrowly escaped with their lives. 

Stimulated by the success of this discreditable exploit, some of the 
Long Island settlers sought permission of the governor to attack the 



112 II T STORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YOKE. 

Indians in that neighborhood. De Vries and Dominie Bogardus and Dr. 
La Montague remonstrated with so much earnestness, that Kiet't finally 
refused to consent, on the ground that the Long Island Indians were 
"hard to conquer," but added the unfortunate proviso that "if they 
proved hostile, each man might resort to such means of defense as he 
should see tit." Before long some covetous persons, in punishment for 
an injury which they claimed to have sustained, robbed the Indians 
of their corn. Three of the latter, while defending their property, were 
killed. It needed only this crowning act of injustice to fill the measure 
of Indian endurance. Eleven tribes immediately united and declared 
war against the Dutch. The result, as may well be imagined, was 
terrible beyond description. The swamps and thickets were full of 
vindictive savages, watching opportunities to slay and plunder. From 
the shore of the Housatonic to the valley of the Raritan, death, fire, and 
captivity threatened unspeakable horrors. In one week the smiling 
country was transformed into a frightful and desolate wilderness. The 
rich and the poor, the strong and the helpless, the old and the young, 
shared the same fate. Blood flowed in rivers ; and, what was often 
worse, children were carried into hopeless captivity. Those who 
March i. egca p e( j fl e( j to fcne f QT ^ w h ere the valiant governor remained safe 
from all possible bodily harm, but where he was obliged to listen to the 
fiery wrath of ruined farmers, childless men, and widowed women, who were 
soon united in a common purpose of returning to Holland. Not knowing 
what else to do, he proclaimed a day of general fasting and prayer. 
March4 'But while the people humbled themselves before their Maker, 
they held their chief magistrate strictly accountable for their calamities. 
In alarm, he tried to moderate the popular feeling by taking all the 
unemployed men into the pay of the company, to serve as soldiers for 
two months. 

One incident deserves special notice. The Indians, in their work of 
destruction, attacked Vriesendael, burned the barns, killed the cattle, and 
were preparing to destroy the beautiful manor-house of De Vries. His 
people had all gathered there for safety, as it was constructed with loop- 
holes for musketry. Suddenly the same Indian whose life De Vries had 
saved, on the night of the Pavonia massacre, came running to the scene, 
and so eloquently declaimed to the savages of the goodness of the " great 
chief," that they paused in their work, expressed great sorrow that they 
had destroyed so much already, and quietly went away. 

De Vries was full of indignation with the governor, and said to him, 
with fire flashing from his eyes, " It was our own nation you murdered 
when you sent men to Pavonia to break the Indians' heads ! Who shall 
now make good our damages ? " 



OVERTURES FOR PEACE. 113 

Kieft saw his error, but it was too late. Willing to make what amends 
remained in his power, he sent a messenger with an overture of peace to 
the Loug Island Indians, which they rejected with scorn. Standing afar 
oft', they derided the Dutch, calling out, " Are you our friends ? You are 
corn thieves." 

When this report was brought to New Amsterdam, the people were so 
maddened that they talked of deposing Kieft and sending him in chains 
to Holland. He tried to exculpate himself by fastening the blame of the 
Pavonia massacre upon Adriaensen and others, whose advice he pretended 
to have followed. This was one drop too much for the unprincipled 
Adriaensen, who had lost all his valuable property since the war com- 
menced, and was not disposed to shoulder any of Kieft's sins. He there- 
fore armed himself, and rushed into the governor's room, intending to 
kill him on the spot. But strong men were present, and the 

. , ,. , , . . , , March 21. 

would-be assassin was seized, disarmed, and imprisoned, and on 

the sailing of the first vessel was sent to Holland, notwithstanding the 

open resistance of his friends. 

Early on the morning of March 24, three Indian messengers 
from the great chief Peuhawitz approached Fort Amsterdam, 
bearing a white flag. None had the courage to go forth and meet them, 
but De Vries and Jacob Olfersten. The Indians said they had come to 
ask why some of their people had been murdered, when they had never 
harmed the Dutch. De Vries assured them that the Dutch did uot 
know that any of their tribe were among the number. They then asked 
De Vries to come with them and speak to their chief, and he fearlessly 
consented. They conveyed him and his companion in their boal to a 
point near Rockaway, where they arrived towards evening, and found the 
chief with two or three hundred warriors near a village of some thirty 
wigwams. De Vries was hospitably entertained in the royal cabin, and 
feasted with oysters and fish. About daybreak he was conducted into 
the woods, where sixteen chiefs were assembled in a circle, and being- 
placed in the center, the chief speaker among them began to enumerate 
their wrongs. He charged the Dutch witli having repaid their former 
kindness with cruelty ; told how the Indians had given them their daugh- 
ters for wives, by whom they had had children; and accused them of 
murdering their own blood in a villainous manner. De Vries inter- 
rupted him, and begged the chiefs to go with him to the governor and 
make peace. They were not at all disposed to do so, but De Vries urged 
them, and his well-known character for justice and honor inspired them 
at last with confidence, and they repaired to their canoes. Kieft received 
them gladly, and concluded an informal treaty ; but they were not satis- 



114 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

tied with their presents, and grumbled among themselves afterward. 
Through their aid and influence, a truce was also effected with 
' some other faithless tribes ; but harmony was by no means re- 
stored, for both the Dutch and the Indians were smarting from their 
injuries. The farmers planted their June corn in constant fear of death. 
Indeed, peace seemed about as full of terror as war. 

July came. The summer was hot and dry. Men crept about like 
guilty creatures, and went from place to place, when possible, in 
y ' bands. An old Indian chief met De Vries one day, and, in response 
to the cheerful greeting of the popular patroon, said that he was melancholy. 
Upon being asked the cause, he said that his young men wanted war 
with the Dutch ; that the presents given them were not sufficient recom- 
pense for their losses. He had added presents of his own in vain. One 
had lost a father, another had lost a mother, and so on, and they clamored 
for revenge. He begged De Vries not to walk alone in the woods, for fear 
some Indians who did not know him might kill him. De Vries escorted 
the chief to Fort Amsterdam, where he told the governor the same 
things ; but it % was without results. The chief was sorry, but said he 
feared he should not long be able to quiet his tribe. 

Soon afterward, there came a rumor that Pacham, the crafty 
ugus ' sachem of the Tankitekes, was visiting all the Indian villages, to 
arrange for a general massacre of the Dutch ; and, as if to corroborate its 
truth, several trading-boats on the North River were attacked and plun- 
dered, nine men killed, and one woman and two children carried into 
captivity. The alarm was so general, that Kieft summoned the people 
together for advice. " Eight men " were chosen this time by the popular 
voice, to counsel with the governor. They were Jochem Pietersen Kuy- 
ter, Jan Jansen Dam, Barent Dircksen, Abraham Pietersen, Thomas Hall, 
Gerrit "Wolfertsen, and Cornelis Melyn. Their first official act 
ep ' ' was to eject Jan Jansen Dam from their board, and appoint Jan 
Evertsen Bout in his place. The result of their first deliberation 
sept. 16. ^^ ^ renewal of hostilities with the river Indians, and a resolu- 
tion to maintain peace with the Long Island tribes. 

But the war-whoop sounded almost immediately in another di- 
ep ' ' rection. The Weekquaesgeeks stole upon the estate of Annie 
Hutchinson, at Annie's Hoeck, and murdered her with all her family 
and people, save a sweet little granddaughter of eight years, whom they 
carried into captivity. They then proceeded to Vreedeland and attacked 
Throgmorton's settlement, laying it waste and killing every person whom 
they found at home. 

Lady Deborah Moody, who had been " dealt with " by the church at 



A TIME OF DEE AD. 115 

Salem "for the error of denying baptism to infants," had settled, in the 
month of June, at Gravesend. Thither the savages hurried in their 
insane thirst for blood. But the settlement was defended by over forty 
brave men, and the Indians were obliged to retreat. They went from 
there to Doughty's settlement at Newtown, where were eighty or more in- 
habitants, who fled to New Amsterdam, leaving everything belonging to 
them but the bare land to be destroyed. A few days later, the Hackin- 
sacks made a night attack upon Van der Horst's colony, on Newark Bay, 
and destroyed the plantation, driving the little garrison, who for a 
time made a determined resistance, into a canoe, by which they 
escaped to New Amsterdam. The Neversincks caught the infection, ami 
killed some traders near Sandy Hook. The yacht had just reached New 
Amsterdam with the tidings, when a nearer calamity appalled every 
heart. Jacob Stoffelsen had married the widow of Van Vorst, Pauw.'s 
former superintendent, and lived at Pavonia. He was a favorite with 
the Indians, and felt secure in his home. They came to his house, how- 
ever, one afternoon, and having sent him on some false errand to Fort 
Amsterdam, they killed his wife and children (except the little son of 
Van Vorst, whom they took off with them), destroyed all his property, 
and murdered every white inhabitant of Pavonia. The next day Kieft 
went with Stoffelsen to see De Vries, and earnestly entreated him to 
follow the Indians and ransom the boy. Being the only man who 

Oct. 2. 

dared venture into the haunts of the savages, be finally consented, 
ami secured the child's freedom. 

Thus New Jersey was left in the possession of its aboriginal lords. 
Melyn, on Staten Island, hourly expected an assault, and was fortified 
to the extent of his resources. The only tolerable place of safety was 
Fort Amsterdam, aud into it women and children and cattle were hud- 
dled promiscuously, while husbands and fathers mounted guard 
on the crumbling walls. The whole available fighting force of 
the Dutch was not over two hundred men, besides fifty or sixty Eng- 
lishmen who had been enrolled into service to prevent their leaving 
New Netherland. This army was under the command of Captain John 
Underbill; and it was necessary that they should keep guard at all 
hours, for seven allied tribes, numbering about 1,500 warriors, were likely 
to descend upon them at any moment. 

Just at this juncture, the province lost one of its leading men, and 
the Indians their best friend. De Vries hail had no sympathy with war; 
he now found himself ruined in consequence of it, and, bidding adieu to 
the governor with the portentous assurance, " Vengeance for innocent 
blood will sooner or later fall upon your head," he embarked on a fishing- 
vessel anil sailed for Europe. 



116 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

1643-1647. 
APPEALS FOR ASSISTANCE. 

Confiscation of Shoes. — The Doomed Village. — Trials for Want of Money. — 
Action of the West India Company. — Kieft's Quarrels. — The War ended. — 
The great Indian Treaty of Peace. — Minerals. — The New School. — Adriaen 
Van der Donck. — Van Rensselaer's Death. — The new Governor. — Stuyve- 
sant's Reception. — Governor Stcyvesant. — Mrs. Peter Stuyvesant. — Mrs. 
Bayard. 

THE front line of progress is never uniform. "We can indeed assert 
with truth that New Netherland generally advanced ; but an inti- 
mate acquaintance with its early history shows that at many points 
it was stationary ; and now we have come to one where it actually receded, 
until the only wonder is that the province under that style and power 
did not become entirely extinct. 

Indian wars are never invested with any of the fleeting splendors 
which embellish other armed conflicts. They add no luster to the pages 
of history. They furnish little philosophy or instruction. We have 
in this instance no military skill to chronicle, no marshaling of hosts, 
no clash of serried columns. A sense of helplessness, an atmosphere of 
terror, an indefinable dread, take the place of heroism and romance as 
usually pictured with the shock of battles. The " Eight Men " whom 
the people of New Netherland had chosen to think and act for them 
appealed to their English neighbors at New Haven for assistance in their 
great distress. The reply was cool and courteous, but decidedly negative. 
1 1 was embodied iu these words, "We are not satisfied that your war 
with the Indians is just." 

Just or unjust, they must all perish now without relief. So 

they told the whole agonizing story in a most eloquent letter to 

the Amsterdam Chamber, praying for immediate and decisive help. 1 

This document is supposed to have been penned by Cornelis Melyn, who 

1 The Eight Men to the Amsterdam Chamber, Col. Doc, Vol. I. 138, 139. 



APPEALS Full ASSISTANCE. 



117 



was a man of no mean ability, and who seems to have fully appreciated 
the mistaken policy of the governor. The winter was setting in with 
unusual severity. The small, worthless straw huts around the fort 
were the only shelter which could be given to the homeless suffer- 
ers who had fled from the tomahawk and scalping-knife. The fort itself 
was in no condition to meet the emergency of the hour; and provisions 
and clothing were wholly inadequate to the demand. As help from 
Holland must come slowly, if, indeed, it came at all before spring, 
expeditions were planned against some of the Indian villages, the 
chief object of which was plunder. Meanwhile the " Eight Men " sent 
to the States-General a bold complaint of the neglect of the West In- 
dia Company. They said, "We have had no means of defense provided 
against a savage foe, and we have had a miserable despot sent to ride 
over us." 

About the middle of November, a colony of English emigrants, 
headed by Robert Fordham, arrived at Hempstede, Long Island, 
and settled on laud which was granted them by Kieft. Their houses 
were hardly ready for occupation when suspicions of treachery fell upon 




Group, showing Holland Fashions. 

Penhawitz, the sachem of the Canarsee Indians, who since the truce 
in the spring had, to all outward appearance, been friendly. Fordham 
sent a message of this import to the governor, who, without waiting 
to ascertain the truth of the charge, dispatched one hundred and 1644. 
twenty men, under the command of Dr. La Montague, Cook, JanZ - 
and Underbill, to "exterminate'' the Canarsees. Thev sailed in three 



118 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

yachts to Cow Bay, and proceeded to the two Indian villages. The 
savages, taken by surprise, made little resistance, and one hundred and 
twenty were killed, while the assailants lost but one man. Two prison- 
ers were taken to New Amsterdam and put to death in the most revolt- 
ing manner. One, frightfully wounded by the long knives with which 
Kieft had armed the soldiers instead of swords, at last dropped dead 
while dancing the death-dance of his race. The other, shockingly muti- 
lated beforehand, was beheaded on a millstone in Beaver Lane, near 
the Battery. 

The winter was one of the darkest and most disheartening 
ever known to the colonists. Food was doled out with a sparing 
hand, and famine seemed ever near. Many had not sufficient clothing 
for their necessities. One of Van Rensselaer's vessels, laden with goods 
for his store in Rensselaerswick, chanced to arrive, and Kieft, applying 
to Peter Wynkoop, the supercargo, tried to buy fifty pairs of shoes for 
his soldiers. The man declined to trade, and Kieft, in great anger, 
ordered a forced levy, searched the vessel, and, finding a large supply 
of ammunition and guns, not included in the manifest, confiscated its 
whole cargo. 

The shoes obtained were immediately put to use. Underbill had just 
returned from Stamford, where he had been reconnoitering the strength 
and position of the Connecticut Indians in that vicinity, and Kieft 
sent him back with one hundred and fifty men to "exterminate" them. 
The word "exterminate" was incorporated into all his orders in 
'such cases. The party went in yachts to Greenwich, and then 
marched over the country through the snow, arriving about midnight 
at the doomed Indian village. It was a clear, cold night, and 
'the moon shining on the snow rendered it nearly as light as 
day. The village contained three rows of wigwams, and was sheltered 
in a nook of the hills from the northwest winds. The savages were not 
asleep, but merrily celebrating one of their annual festivals. The Dutch 
soldiers surrounded the place, and charged upon them, sword in hand. 
They made desperate resistance; but every attempt to break the line 
of the troops failed, and in one hour the snow was dyed with the blood 
of nearly two hundred of the Indians. Having forced the remainder 
into their wigwams, Underbill, remembering Mason's experiment on the 
Mystic, resolved to burn the village. Straw and wood were heaped about 
the houses, and in a few moments red flames were shooting into the sky 
in every direction. The wretched victims who tried to escape were shot, 
or driven back into the fiery abyss, and not one man, woman, or child 
was heard to utter a cry. Six hundred fell that night. Of those who, 



TRIALS FOR WANT OF MONEY. ll!> 

blithe and happy, crowded the little village at nightfall, but eight were 
Left to tell the fearful story to their countrymen. None of the tumps 
were killed, and but fifteen wounded. They bivouacked on the snow 
until daylight, and then returned, like Roman concpierors, to Fort Am- 
sterdam. Fur their " brilliant victory," Kieft proclaimed a day of public 
thanksgiving. 1 

Wishing to turn loose the few cattle they had all winter been 
stabling in the fort, the governor, as soon as the snow went off, 
issued an order for the building of a fence across the island from the 
North to the East River, on the line of the present Wall Street. While 
a number of men were engaged in its construction, a few tribes 

April 15 

of Indians, worn out, it is presumed, with being hunted like wild 
beasts, came to the fort and entered into a treaty of peace. Hut the 
tribes nearest the town, and consecmently those most dreaded, kept 
aloof. 

By this time, the "Eight Men" had received from the Amsterdam 
Chamber a response to their letter, but not the sorely needed funds which 
had been expected. The financial condition of the company had been 
for some time on the decline, for the subsidies and other sums due from 
the provinces had never been promptly paid in ; and, not being supported 
by an extensive trade, their military ami naval triumphs had, on the 
whole, cost more money than they had produced. In 1641, the shaking 
off of the Spanish yoke by the Portuguese, in which Holland had assisted, 
made it apparent that the company would in the end lose Brazil; a 
long series of quarrels with the Directors had just induced Count John 
Maurice, one of the ablest rulers of the seventeenth century, to leave 
that South American province in disgust ; ami through many causes 
bankruptcy was already threatening the proud corporation. A lull of 
exchange which Kieft drew upon the Amsterdam Chamber, the pre- 
vious autumn, came back protested. Pressing need drove him to the 
dangerous alternative of taxing wine, beer, brandy, and beaver-skins 
The "Eight Men" opposed the measure with all their strength, 
but without avad. The brewers, upon whom the tax fell most 
heavily, refused to pay it, on the ground of its injustice: they were 
arrested, and their beer given to the soldiers 

In July, a vessel containing one hundred and thirty Dutch 
soldiers, who had been driven by the Portuguese out of Brazil, 
came into port, having been sent to the relief of the New-Netherlanders ; 
and Kieft immediately dismissed his English auxiliaries, and billeted 

1 This affair is supposed to hare taken place ou Strickland's Plain. Doc. Hid. X. }'., 
IV. 1.;, 17. 



120 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the new-comers on the citizens. As they were half naked, he enforced 
his excise laws, to get the means to clothe them. His conduct engendered 
private as well as public quarrels ; and there were prosecutions daily 
and without number, which of course engrossed his attention ; for the 
governor, it must be remembered, was judge as well as jury. Indians 
prowled about the town, committing thefts every night, often killing 
persons less than a thousand paces from the fort. The "Eight Men" 

tried to improve matters, but they had little power, and Kieft was 
ug ' ' deaf to their counsels and suggestions. A committee from them 
went in person to him at one time, and remonstrated so loudly in regard 
to his negligence respecting the war, that he sent a party of soldiers 
to the north ; but they soon returned, having accomplished nothing but 
the murder of eight of the savages. 

Thus that terrible summer passed in civil anarchy, and every 

day affairs grew worse. The " Eight Men " bore it until they 
coidd bear it no longer ; and finally, in a cutting memorial addressed to 

the West India Company, they charged the whole blame of the 
' war and their consequent sufferings upon Kieft, and demanded 
his recall. They particularly warned the company against a "book 
ornamented with water-color drawings " which Kieft had sent to them, 
which they said "had as many lies as lines in it," and declared that 
his Excellency could know nothing about the geography of the country, 
since, during his whole residence in New Amsterdam, he had never been 
farther from his bedroom and kitchen than the middle of Manhattan 
Island. 

This communication reached Holland at an opportune moment. 
' The College of the XIX was in session, and all who heard 
the letter felt that the colonists were in earnest, and woidd return with 
their wives and children to the Fatherland, as they threatened, if Kieft 
was not recalled. Melyn's 1 spirited letter to the States-General, which 
had been sent to the Amsterdam Chamber with appropriate remarks 
from that august body, came in at the same time for its share of atten- 
tion. It was finally resolved "to collect and condense all the reports 

about New Netherland." This was subsequently done by the 
' recently organized " Eekenkamer," or Bureau of Accounts ; and 
the document is one of the most important state papers in existence, as 
having determined the future policy of the company. 

It was decided to recall Kieft ; but as no one at hand appeared 
exactly adapted to fill his place, Van Dincklagen was named as a 
provisional governor for New Netherland. At a meeting of the Direc- 

1 Melyn was the president of the " Eight Men." 



K I EFTS QUARRELS. 121 

tors, on the 3d of March, 1645, it was resolved to vest the provincial 
government in a Supreme Council, consisting of a Director-Gen- 1645. 
eral, Vice-Director, and Fiscal, by whom all public concerns March 3. 
should he managed. Fort Amsterdam should be repaired, and a garrison 
of fifty-three soldiers constantly maintained The wishes of the people 
should be respected, and the Indians appeased. The population of the 
country should be strengthened, and Amsterdam weights and measures 
used throughout New Netherland. All the negroes should be imported 
that the patroons and colonists would buy, and every man should be 
required to provide himself with a musket and side-arms. 

Thus, notwithstanding the discovery that their North American prov- 
ince had fallen into ruin and confusion by reason of Kieft's unnecessary 
war, without the knowledge and surely not by the order of the company, 
and against the will and wishes of the people ; and that, according to 
the books of the Amsterdam Chamber, this same province had, in place 
of being a source of profit, actually cost, since 1626, over five hundred 
and fifty thousand guilders above the returns, — they evidently felt that 
it was not entirely beyond hope, and that they need not and ought not 
to abandon it. 

The news of Kieft's recall reached New Amsterdam long previous 
to the official summons to appear before his employers. He thence- 
forth labored under a great pressure of untoward circumstances. All 
classes of the people treated him with marked disrespect. His life 
was an unbroken chapter of arrests, for he attempted to punish every 
one who was guilty of disloyalty to himself as their chief magistrate. 
He fined and imprisoned and banished to his heart's content, allowing no 
appeal to the Fatherland ; a stretch of high-handed tyranny which, but 
for the expected relief, would probably have cost hinihis life. 

His 1 test friends — if, indeed, he had any friends — could not restrain him 
from the most injudicious acts. Dominie Bogardus, while remonstrating 
with him one day, was accused by him of drunkenness and alliance with 
the malcontents. The next Sabbath morning, the good divine, standing 
in his cheaply canopied pulpit, said : " What are the great men of our 
country but vessels of wrath and fountains of woe and trouble ? They 
think of nothing but to plunder the property of others, to dismiss, to 
banish, and to transport to Holland." Whereupon Kieft, who had been 
up to that time a noted church-goer, absented himself from the sanc- 
tuary, and caused a band of soldiers to practice all sorts of noisy amuse- 
ments, such as the beating of drums and the firing of caimons, under 
the church windows. 

The dominie did not, however, relax his censures of the governor, 



122 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

and just after the following New Year's Day he was arrested, and 
1646. required to answer to a long list of charges. His answers, being 
Jan - "■ iu accordance with his clear sense of justice, were inadmissi- 
ble before such a tribunal; and at last, to silence the scandal and 
' disorder, mutual friends interfered, the prosecution was termi- 
nated, and the governor went to church again, being placated by 
y ' the compliance of Dominie Bogardus with his request to allow 
Dominie Mesapolensis, who was in New Amsterdam, to preach the next 
Sunday. 
1645. Meanwhile the Indians, wishing to plant their corn, and after- 
April 22. wards to engage in their usual pastimes of hunting and fish- 
ing, sued for peace. A few chiefs appeared at the fort and entered into 
a treaty, apparently pleased when a salute of three guns was fired in 
honor of the occasion. 1 They were engaged to secure the good-will of the 
yet hostile tribes, — a work which was at last accomplished by the diplo- 
macy nf Whiteneywen, chief of the Mockgonecocks. He soon returned 
with friendly messages from the chiefs along the Sound and near Kocka- 
way, and both parties went through the ceremony of a formal treaty. 
Kieft then, accompanied by Dr. La Montagne, made his first visit 
to Fort Orange, hoping to secure the friendship of the Mohawks 
and other tribes in that vicinity, who had just made peace with the 
French. This effort was crowned with success, and on the 30th 
ug of August the chiefs of all the tribes assembled in New Amster- 
dam, where they were met by the officers of the government and the 
] leu] ilc, and with the most imposing ceremonies all pledged themselves 
to eternal friendship with each other. No armed Indian was henceforth 
t" visit the houses of the Europeans; and no armed European was to 
visit the Indian villages, without a native escort. So slender, at 
ug ' ' this time, were the resources of Kieft, that he was obliged to bor- 
row money of Van der Donck, in order to make the customary presents 
to the savages. 

With characteristic thoughtfulness, the Dutch stipulated for the resto- 
ration of the little captive granddaughter of Annie Hutchinson; anil the 
Indians, with apparent reluetanee. aeeeded tu the proposal. The next July 
they appeared with her at Fort Amsterdam, and Kieft had the rare pleas- 
ure of sending her to her friends in Boston. During her brief captivity, 
she had forgotten her own language and the tares of her relatives, and 
was loath to leave the Indians, who had evidently treated her tenderly. 

1 The salute was fired by Jacob Jaeobsen Roy, who, in the discharge of this duty, unfor- 
tunately received a severe injury from an explosion, which long kept him under the care of 
Surgeon Kiersted, and ultimately deprived him of his arm. 



THE GREAT INDIAN TREATY OF PEACE. 123 

There was joy in New Amsterdam at the bright prospect of a durable 
peace ; but the desolation caused by the needless war was not sunn to pass 
nut of sight. It had been easy to commence hostilities, but how were 
broken hearts and fortunes to be repaired ? The day following 

1 . Aug. 31. 

the final settlement of the treaty, Kieft issued a proclamation, 
directing the observance of the 6th of September as a day of general 
thanksgiving, "to proclaim the good tidings in all the Dutch and English 
churches." 

People began once more to scatter over the country, and to clear and 
improve the land. The party who had been driven from Newtown, Long 
Island, returned; but they were bankrupt, their houses and farming 
utensils were gone, and it was difficult to get another foothold Doughty 
exacted purchase-money and quit-rents before he would allow his people 
to build ; but they appealed to the governor, who, thinking it unwise to 
hinder population, managed so that the minister's land was confiscated 
Doughty gave notice that he should appeal from this decision ; and he 
was thereupon imprisoned for twenty-tour hours, fined, and compelled 
to promise in writing that he would never mention what had occurred 
He afterwards removed to Flushing, which had just been settled 
by a party of Xew England emigrants. These people had bought 
more than sixteen thousand acres of laud of Kieft ; and Doughty became 
their minister, with a salary of six hundred guilders per annum. 

Two months later, that portion of Lous Island adioinins Coney 

Dec 19. 

Island, now known as Gravesend, was formally patented to Lady 
Moody, her son Sir Henry Moody, Ensign George Baxter, and Sergeant 
.Tames Hubbard, who had held it so bravely during all these harassing 
years. 

In pursuance of orders from the West India Company, Kieft 
investigated the mineral resources of the province. During the 
progress of the treaty in August, some of the Indians had exhibited 
specimens of minerals they claimed to have found in the Neversinck 
Hills and elsewhere, which upon analysis yielded what was supposed 
to be gold and quicksilver and iron pyrites. An officer and thin \ men 
were sent to search for and procure as many specimens as possible for 
transmission to Holland. They found the article in question, and as a. 
ship was going to leave New Haven in December, they sent their little 
cargo by it, in charge of Arendt Corssen ; but the vessel was lost at sea, 
and never heard from after it passed out of Long Island Sound. 

One of the signs of progress in New Amsterdam was a new school 
started by Arien Jansen Van Olfendam, who arrived from Holland mi 
March 3d of this year. He had no competitor after Eoelandsen's banish- 



124 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

merit, and prospered as well as could have been expected, considering 
the condition of the country. His terms of tuition were " two beavers " 
per annum, — beavers meaning dried beaver-skins. He taught in New 
Amsterdam until the year 1660, and among those he educated were some 
of the leading personages of the province. 
1647. Meanwhile Adriaen Van der Donck, whose name is familiar to 
Jan. 17. £ oe historians of New Netherland, had married the daughter of 
Eev. Francis Doughty, and wished to remove to Manhattan. He had 
filled the office of sheriff in Rensselaerswick for nearly five years, and 
had been of infinite service to the colony. Through his influence the 
first church had been built there, which, although small, had a canopied 
pulpit, pews for the magistracy and the deacons, and nine benches for 
the people, after the fashion of the Fatherland. As previously recorded, 
it was chiefly through his recommendations that the services of Dominie 
Megapolensis had been secured ; a clergyman who not only preached to 
his own countrymen, but was the first of the Dutch Church to attempt 
the instruction of the Indians in religion. For a long time, he knew 
very little of the Indian language ; and he related in a letter to a friend 
how, when he preached a sermon, ten or twelve savages would attend, 
each with a long pipe in his mouth, and would stare at him, and after- 
ward ask why he stood there alone and made so many words, when 
none of the rest might speak. He taught them slowly and by de- 
grees, as he could make himself understood, that he was admonishiug 
them as he did the Christians, not to drink and murder and steaL 
Through his voluntary and earnest and unceasing labors, many of the 
red-men about Fort Orange heard the gospel preached long before New 
England sent missionaries among the Indians. 

Before Van der Donck had completed his arrangements for removal, the 
pretty cottage in which he lived was burned ; and, as it was in the depth 
of a remarkably inclement winter, Van Corlear invited his houseless 
neighbors to share his hospitality. A quarrel soon arose, because Van 
Curler insisted that Van der Donck was bound by his lease to make good 
to the patroon the value of the lost house. Van der Donck retorted 
sharply; whereupon Van Corlear ordered him from under his roof within 
two days. Seeking refuge in Fort Orange, Van der Donck was allowed 
by the new commissary, Van der Bogaerdt, to occupy a miserable hut, 
" into which," he said, " no one would hardly be willing to enter," until 
the opening of river navigation, when he proceeded to New Amsterdam. 
Kieft was well disposed towards the man to whom he was in- 
' debted for a large amount of borrowed money, and readily granted 
him the privileges of patroon over some fine lands which he selected, to 



VAN RENSSELAER'S DEATH. 125 

the north of Manhattan Island, on the Hudson River, which took the 
name of "Colon Donck," or "Donck's Colony." Many of the Dutch 
were in the habit of calling this estate " de Jonkheer's Landt," Jonk- 
heer being a title which in Holland was applied to the sons of noblemen. 
The English corrupted it and called it Yonkers ; thus the name Early 
Yonkers perpetuates the memory of the first proprietor of the spring- 
property in that locality. 

During the same summer, Kieft issued a patent to Cornelis Antonissen 
Van Slyck for the land which is now the town of Catskill, with the 
privileges of patroon ; giving as a reason " the great services which Van 
Slyck had done this country in helping to make peace and ransom 
prisoners during the war"; but in so doing the governor openly set at 
naught the pretensions of the patroon of Rensselaerswick, which, in- 
deed, had already been formally denied in tin- proceedings against Bloom 
in 1644. 

News of the death of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer soon after reached the 
colony. By this event the title of the estate descended to his eldest son, 
Johannes, who, being under age, was, by his father's will, placed under 
the guardianship of Johannes Van Wely and Wouter Van Twiller, his 
executors. In November, these guardians of the young patroon, having 
rendered homage to the States-General, in the name of their ward, sent 
Brandt Van Slechtenhorst as director to the colony, in place of Van 
Corlear, who had resigned. 

Late in autumn, the company granted the town of Breuckelen, 
Long Island, municipal privileges; that is, the people were 
allowed to elect two schepens, with full judicial powers, and a scbout, 
who should be subordinate to the sheriff' at New Amsterdam. The vil- 
lage at tin's time was a mile inland, the hamlet at the water's edge was 
known as the Ferry. 

Kieft was very much harassed, during the entire year of 1646, by 
difficulties with the Swedes on the Delaware River, and by what lie 
styled the " impudent encroachments " of the New-Englanders. He sent 
Andries Hudde to succeed Jan Jansen at Fort Nassau, and imprisoned 
Jansen for fraud and neglect of duty. In the autumn of 1645, he sent 
him to Holland, for trial. Hudde was equal to the governor in the use 
of profane language, but, though energetic, he was no match for Printz, 
the imperious Swedish commander, who nearly annihilated the commerce 
of the Dutch ; and the two neighbors were engaged in a perpetual squab- 
ble, which had no dignity, and is hardly worth a place in history, since it 
was followed by no results. In the same manner ended a long ami curi- 
ously bitter correspondence between the governor and the New England 




126 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

authorities. While justice, in this instance, seemed to be on the side 
of the Dutch, the English certainly showed themselves the better diplo- 
matists, and Kiel't only injured a good cause by intermeddling. 

But events in another part of the world had already prepared the way 
tor a change which was to influence all the future of the province of New 
Netherland. Peter Stuyvesant, the governor of Curacoa, which had 
been wrested from the Spanish during the most brilliant period of the 
West India Company's history, made an unsuccessful attack upon the 
Portuguese island of St. Martin in 1644, through which he lost a leg, and 
was obliged to return to Europe for surgical aid. The company, who 
held him in great respect, concluded to send him as governor to New 
Netherland, and revoked Van Dincklagen's provisional appointment. 
During the summer 

of 1645, a sharp ^- ^ 

controversy was go- ( \ 

ing on among the _- / ^f^r-w 

Directors of the com- // */X^-^ J 

pany in regard to the \ ' I ^~C 

proposed reforms in ^- y 

colonial affairs ; and Autograph of stuyvesant. 

their ablest pens were in constant requisition to ward off the attacks of 
the national Dutch party, who were publishing pamphlets to influence 
the public mind against their movements, and to show them up as a 
clique of tyrants, who had squandered the treasures of the country and 
contracted immense debts. It is curious to read the company's various 
and numberless resolutions about this time, especially those treating of 
money matters. They lead us into a better understanding of the diffi- 
culties attending such a corporation, which, taking upon itself a part of 
the duties of the government, would necessarily expect from the latter 
assistance ; and this, coming at all times slowly, at last failed them 

1645. altogether. It was decided in the College of the XIX, that the 
July 6. expenses of New Netherland shoidd no longer be confined to the 

Amsterdam Chamber, but shared by all the chambers of the company in 
common. As news of the peace with the Indians had reached them, 
they were in less haste to send out a new governor : finally, to settle 
the knotty questions which were engendering a great deal of ill-feeling, 
and to render instructions clear and comprehensive, Stuyvesant's depart- 
ure was delayed for more than a year; and even at the last, all the 
preparations for his voyage were tediously slow. 

1646. He received his commission, and took the oath of office before 
July 28. t} ie States-General, July 28, 1646. He sailed on Christmas morn- 



THE SEW GOVERNOR. 



127 



ing, and after a long detour, stopping at Curacoa and the "West India 
Islands, reached New Amsterdam, May 11, 1647. He was ac- i 6 47. 
companied by Van Dincklagen as Vice-Director, Van Dyck as M -iy n - 
Fiscal, Captain Bryan Newton, Commissary Adriaen Keyser, and Cap- 




tain Jelmer Thomas, with several soldiers, a number of free colonists, 
and a few private traders. The first-named gentlemen, including the 
governor, had their families with them. 

Stuyvesant's reception was very flattering. The guns of the fort were 
tired, and the entire population of New Amsterdam cheered and waved 
hats and handkerchiefs as he landed. There was a little informal speech- 
making, and with great liauteur the nr\\ chief magistrate assured the 
crowd that he "should govern them as a father dues his children." 



128 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF XEW YORK. 

The wily little Kieft was foremost in making his successor welcome, 
ami escorted him to the Executive Mansion, which he had already va- 
cated, and in which a sumptuous repast was awaiting His Excellency. 

Peter Stuyvesant was the son of a clergyman in Friesland. He had 
early evinced a taste for military life, and had now l>een for some years 
in the employ of the West India Company. He was a proud, scholarly 
looking man, a little above the medium height, with a remarkably fine 
physique; and he bore himself with the air of a prince. The highly in- 
tellectual features of his face gave evidence of great decision and force 
of character. His complexion was dark, and a close black cap which he 
often wore imparted to it a still deeper shade. His chin was bare, and 
his mouth, indicative of sternness and grave authority, was fringed with 
a very slight mustache. The inflections of his voice, and his whole 
appearance when speaking, were rather unattractive; but, in spite of a 
certain apparent coldness, no one could escape the influence of his mag- 
netic presence. He was a man of strong prejudices and passions, of 
severe morality, and at times unapproachable aspect; but bis heart was 
large, his sympathies tender, and his affections warm, though his creed 
was rigid. He was never otherwise than faultlessly dressed, and always 
after the most approved European standard. A wide, drooping shirt-col- 
lar fell over a velvet jacket with slashed sleeves, displaying a full white 
puffed shirt-sleeve. His hose were also slashed, very full, and fastened 
at the knee by a handsome scarf tied in a knot, and his shoes were 
ornamented with a large rosette. His lost leg had been replaced by 
a wooden one with silver bands, which accounts for the tradition that 
lie wore a silver leg. He was often abrupt in manner, and made no 
pretensions to conventional smoothness at any time. He had sterling 
excellences of character, but more knowledge than culture. 

The career of Governor Stuyvesant is deeplj interesting from its sym- 
metry and its manliness. He came to Manhattan in the employ of a 
mercantile corporation ; but his whole heart and soul became enlisted 
in the welfare of the country of his adoption. Thenceforward to his 
latest breath he was intensely American, and the varied fruits of his 
labors are among the most valuable legacies of the seventeenth century. 

A few years prior to this date, he hail married Judith Bayard, the 
daughter of a celebrated Paris divine, who had taken refuge in Holland 
from religious persecution. Shortly after his own marriage, his sister 
Anna was espoused to Nicholas Bayard, Judith's elder brother. The 
husband died within a short period, leaving his young widow and 
three infant sons to the care of her only brother, who deemed it 
wise to bring them with him to his new home. The two ladies, Mrs. 



MRS. PET EI! STUYVESANT. 129 

Stuyvesant and Mrs. Bayard, Lad hitherto known only luxury and com- 
fort They were well informed as to the uncertain prospects of colonial 
life, and possible savage warfare; for the published accounts of the New 
Netherland horrors had circulated widely in Europe. But they wire 
as brave as they were sensible and self-sacrificing. Mrs. Stuyvesant was 
a blonde, and very beautiful, spoke both the French and the 1 hitch lan- 
guage with ease, and in the course of a few years acquired a good knowl- 
edge of English. She had a sweet voice and a rare taste for music, 
which had been cultivated under the best of masters. She was loud 
of dress, and followed the French fashions, displaying considerable artis- 
tic skill in the perfection and style of her attire. She was gentle and 
retiring in her manners, but was possessed of great firmness of char- 
acter. 

Mrs. Bayard was less attractive in person; she was tall, commanding, 
and imperious. Her education was of a high order, considering the age in 
which she lived, and she had great tact and capacity for business. She 
brought a tutor across the ocean for her three little sons; but after he 
had been dismissed as unworthy of his position, she taught the children 
herself in almost every branch of practical education. Of her abilities in 
that direction we may judge from the fact that her son Nicholas, a 
mere youth, was appointed, in 1664, to the clerkship of the Common 
Council, — an office of which the records were required to be kept in 
both Dutch and English. It will not be amiss perhaps, in this connec- 
tion, to quote from the historian Brodhead a few words in regard to the 
women of Holland. He says: "The purity of morals and decorum of 
manners, for which the Dutch have ever beeu conspicuous, may lie most 
justly ascribed to the happy influence of their women, who mingled in 
all the active affairs of life, and were consulted with deferential respect. 
They loved their homes and their firesides, but they loved their country 
more. Through all their toils and struggles, the calm fortitude of the 
men of Holland was nobly encouraged and sustained by the earnest and 
undaunted spirit of their mothers and wives. And the empire which the 
female sex obtained was no greater than that which their beauty, good 
sense, virtue, and devotion entitled them to hold." 

It was well for Stuyvesant that he had such a wife and sister near 

him, for he was entering upon a series of trials which would test his 

temper and discretion to the utmost. Of their influence and coun- 

May 27. r 

sels we catch only occasional glimpses here and there. But his 
administration was longer and more perplexing than that of any other 
Dutch governor. It was, at that time, no easy matter to conduct the 
affairs of a remote settlement, where the machinery of government was 



130 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



insufficient of itself to control a mixed community, whose interests were 
in constant conflict with those of the trading company which held the 
reins of power. The very conditions of his office compelled him to 
assume individual responsibility, and to depend upon his own private 
judgment in a thousand instances, the importance of which we can now 
imperfectly estimate. His faults sometimes glare upon us in a most 
blinding manner; but with all his apparent fondness for ostentation 
of command, he does not seem to have been open to the charge of inten- 
tional injustice, and his purity of purpose stands out in indelible con- 
trast with the capricious rule of his predecessor. 

He was formally inaugurated, May 27. 
The whole community were present, and lis- 
tened with eagerness to his well-prepared 
speech on the occasion. The democratic 
Belgian, Cornells Melyn, afterwards wrote, 
"He kept the people standing with then- 
heads uncovered for more than an hour, 
while he wore his chapcau, as if he were 
the Czar of Muscovy." Others who had 
suffered from the petty despotism of Kieft, 
and who were full of the liberal ideas which stuyvesanfs seal. 

were the birthright of every Hollander, criticised the haughty bearing 
of the new governor, and prophesied the character of his future govern- 
ment. When he earnestly promised that " every man should have 
justice done him," he was loudly applauded. Kieft stood by his side 
during the ceremony, and seemed to think it fitting that he should say 
a few words of farewell to the people. He thanked them for their fideli- 
ty to him, expressed many kind wishes, and bade them adieu. Only a 
murmur of dissatisfaction arose in response, and a few voices above the 
rest were heard to say, " We are glad your reign is over." 




POLITICAL EVENTS IX EUROPE. 131 



C II A P T E R IX. 

1647-1650. 
POLITICAL EVENTS IN EUROPE. 

Political Events in Europe. —Holland and the Hollanders. — The Sabbath in 
New York. —The First Surveyors. — Kuyter and Melyn, and their Trial foil 
Rebellion. — The Wreck of the Princess. — Kip. — Govert Loockebmans. First 
Fire- Wardens. — Schools and Education. — Rensselaerswick a Power. — The 
Governor's Failure. — Civil War in England. — Van Cortlandt. Van def 
Donck. — Melyn. — The Quarrel. — Van der Donck in Holland. — Isaac 
Allerton. 

FREDERICK HENRY, Prince of Orange, died on the morning of 
March 14, 1G47. He had been stadtholder of the provinces for 
twenty-two years, and had reached his sixty-third birthday. His death 
tended directly inwards drawing to a close the eighty years' war, 

* 1647. 

which had cost Spain over fifteen hundred millions of ducats. 
His office descended to his son, William II., by an act of reversion 
which the States passed in 1631. The young prince was the husband 
of Mary, daughter of Charles I. of England. He was lull of military 
ambition and ready to buckle on his armor, but the nation distrusted 
his inexperience and entered immediately into negotiations for peace. 
France was a snag in the way, tor a time, through a variety of conflicting 
interests. The French ministers were bent on preventing the consum- 
mation of the treaty, even resorting to countless intrigues when other 
means failed. It was finally signed by the representatives of the two 
nations, in January, 1648, at Munster. It was at once ratified by Philip 
IV. and by the several States of the Netherlands. The recognition of 
the sovereignty of the Dutch Republic was so absolute that an ambassa- 
dor was actually sent to the Hague from Spain, before Philip himself 
received one from the Dutch. 1 

Of the seven Dutch States, Holland was the most important, by reason 
of its dense population and great wealth; hence its name was often 

1 Corps Dip., VI. 429, 450. Barnage Annates des Trim., l"n. I. 102. Grattam, 262 
Davis, II. 645. 649. 



132 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

applied to the confederacy by way of eminence. It embraced but a 

small portion of territory, chiefly of made ground, which was so loose 
and spongy that high winds sometimes tore up large trees by the 
roots. Every inch of the country was rendered available for some good 
purpose. The soil, steeped in water, produced excellent crops, and the 
fields and gardens teemed with vegetation. Canals were cut in all 
directions, and were alive with fleets of barges and with innumerable 
ships ul' war and commerce. The trim villas, and the quick succession 
of great towns, made a profound impression upon travelers and strangers. 
Throughout the length and breadth of the land there was a uniform 
appearance of comfort, affluence, and contentment. Houses and grounds 
were kept in a condition of perfect order, the streets and canals were 
lined with elegant trees, and the ever-whirling windmills looked as if 
they came out in fresh robes everj morning. In no country were the 
domestic and social ties of life discharged with greater precision. It 
matters not that chroniclers have made the Dutch subjects of unmerited 
depreciation. It has been stated that they were characterized only by 
slowness; and that the land was barren of invention, progress, or ideas. 
The seeds of error and prejudice thus sown bear little fruit after the 
reading of a few chapters of genuine contemporary personal description. 
As a rule, the Hollanders were not inclined to take the initiative in trade 
or politics, and were distinguished for solidity rather than brilliancy; but 
it is absurd to say "they were unequal to the origination of any new 
thing." We find among them many of the most illustrious men of mod- 
ern Europe, — politicians, warriors, scholars, artists, and divines. Wealth 
was widely diffused; learning was held in highest respect; and eloquence, 
courage, and public spirit were characteristic of the race. For nearly a 
century after the Dutch Republic first took its place among independent 
nations, it swayed the balance of European politics; and the acumen and 
culture of the leading statesmen elicited universal deference and admira- 
tion For an index to the private life of the upper classes, we need but 
to take a peep into the richly furnished apartments of their stately man- 
sions, or walk through their summer-houses and choice conservatories 
and famous picture-galleries. As for the peasantry, they were neat to 
a fault, and industrious as well as frugal. 

The liberal commercial policy of the Dutch, and their great latitude 
of religious faith, attracted people to their shores from all parts of the 
world. Every language spoken by civilized man was to be heard in 
their exchange. The floor of the hall in the Stadt Huys at Amsterdam 
was inlaid with marble, to represent maps of the different nations of the 
earth. 



HOLLAND AND THE HOLLANDERS. 



133 



Such was the country whose people settled New York. All classes 
emigrated ; but those who took the most active part iu the direction of 
our infant institutions were, in intelligence and worldly wisdom, and in 
all those sterling characteristics which we are wont to respect, above the 
average of their generation, 
tion to that of the illiterate 
laborers and traders who 
crossed the water was great- 
er than that between the 
higher and lower classes in 
any portion of Europe. This 
fact has generally been over- 
looked by the writers 
American history who have " r v„ 
imputed wholesale heaviness 
and incapacity, except 
money-making, to the I hit 
founders of the metropolis. 
As the blood of Holland, 
France, and England (and, 
we may add, much of the 
best blood of those three na- 
tions) became mixed in the 
veins of the people, it is easy 
to trace the increase of men- 
tal vigor, the softening of nationa 
tion of opinions, habits, tastes, 




genera] amalgama- 
of life, until we 

in the New York 



m 

Interior of the Stadt Huys. of Amsterd 

prejudices, and the 
tshions, and mode 
have a new and distinct species of the human kini 
American. 

Stuyvesant possessed in an eminent degree that distinguishing elemenl 
of greatness, perception. He took the colony in at a glance, and saw 
why then.' was so much dilapidation ami discomfort. The Indian war 
had destroyed property, until only about fifty farms could be counted 
in the province. Si, me of the colonists had been killed, and others had 
returned to Holland; so that there were not to be found over three 
hundred capable of bearing arms. The church in the tort was unfinished, 
and the timbers rotting. Money which had been contributed towards 
building a school-house had been expended to payoff the troops; and the 
debt was still in arrears. The public revenue had not been collected, 
and there were conflicting elaims in waiting to be settled with the pa- 
troons. In short, the whole situation was chaotic in the extreme. 



134 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Whatever Stuyvesant did, he did thoroughly. As soon as he was in- 
augurated, he organized his council. It consisted of Vice- Director Van 
Dincklagen, a clever politician and a thorough scholar; Fiscal Van Dyck, 
of whom little can he said in praise; the learned and gentlemanly Dr. 
La Montagne; Adriaen Keyser; and Captain Bryan Newton. Van Tien- 
hoven was retained in the office of secretary; Paulus Van der Grist was 
made equipage-master; and George Baxter, an English gentleman of good 
education, was reappointed English secretary and interpreter. 

A court of justice was established, over which Van Dincklagen was 
appointed presiding judge. Stuyvesant, however, reserved the right to 
preside in person whenever he should think proper, and required that 
his own opinions should be consulted in important matters. 

Proclamations were issued with marvelous rapidity. The first on 
record relates to the Sabbath. Experience had long before yielded, upon 
every hand, its testimonies to the wisdom of the Divine institution. 
Then, as now, it was esteemed the duty of government to protect it, and 
to confirm to the people the material and vital benefits which it is so well 
calculated to secure. As a means of social, moral, and physical health, 
and as a measure of industrial economy, if we had no Sabbath, the ordi- 
nation of one would come directly within the scope of legislation. Stuy- 
vesant was possessed with a profound sense of its importance as a direct 
means for the establishment and perpetuation of a pure Christianity in 
this country; and for his sentiments and his efforts in that direction 
lie deserves to be honored to the remotest posterity. Another proclama- 
tion forbade drunkenness and profanity ; and stdl another prohibited the 
sale of liquor and fire-arms to the Indians, on pain of death. Strict laws 
were instituted for the protection of the revenues, which had been de- 
frauded by the introduction of foreign merchandise in vessels running 
past Manhattan in the night. The following is a copy of one of the 
proclamations on that subject : — 

"Anyone is interdicted from having the hardihood to go into the interior 
with any cargoes or any merchandise ; hut they shall leave them at the usual 
places of deposit and there wait for traffic." 

The usual place for vessels to anchor was under the guns of the fort, 
near a queer little hand-board, which stood on the water's edge. To re- 
plenish the treasury, taxes were levied on liquors, and the export duties 
on peltries were increased. All outstanding tenths due from the impover- 
ished farmers were called in, but a year's grace for the payment was allowed 
in consideration of losses by the war. The people grumbled. Who will 
pay taxes with a cheerful countenance, particularly when it is at the 



THE FIRST SURVEYORS. 135 

supreme command of an individual, and through the withholding of his 
birthright, the franchise '. But Stuyvesant's military training made him 
imperious ; and, in point of fact, his instructions from the West India 
Company gave him less discretionary power than has been generally sup- 
posed. He must govern absolutely; and he was by no means backward 
in obeying such instructions. 

Workmen were employed to put the fort m repair: and others were 
engaged to complete the church, of which Stuyvesant at once became a 
member and set an example of devout Sabbath worship. The 
little village, with its crooked roads winding round hillocks and 
ledges, its untidy houses with hog-pens and chicken-coops in front and 
tumble-down chimneys in the rear, had some surveyors appointed over 
it in July, — Van Dincklagen, Van der Grist, and Van Tienhoven. They 
understood what improvements were needed to make the new dorp the 
miniature of a thrifty Holland town, and were very energetic in their 
measures. The streets were straightened, even to the removing of some 
huge obstacles; nuisances were done away with; great piles of accumu- 
lated rubbish were dumped into the water; a better class of houses was 
erected under their supervision ; and all owners of vacant lots were com- 
pelled to improve them within nine months after purchase. 

In the mean time Ivuyter and Melyn were instituting proceedings 
against Kieft. They had lost heavily by the Indian war, and were 
determined to compel an investigation of its causes. They proposed that 
all the leading men of the colony should lie summoned into court and 
examined on oath in regard to it. They prepared a list of questions to 
he put to them, tending to elicit a train of evidence that would place 
the matter correctly before the company in Holland. 

Stuyvesant appointed a commission to decide upon the propriety of 
-ranting such an inquiry ; and, as soon as the members came together, he 
expressed his opinion emphatically, that " the two malignant fellows were 
disturbers of the peace, and that it was treason to complain of one's magis- 
trates, whether there was cause or not." He had evidently taken alarm at 
the dangerous precedent of allowing subjects to judge rulers, since his 
own acts might have to pass the ordeal. Kieft was delighted at this 

mark of favor from the new governor, and emboldened by it to 

July n. 
accuse his accusers. He had a double incentive; personal ami 

revengeful hatred, and the rescue of his own character from ignominy. 
The following day, Kuyter and Melyn were arrested on a charge of "re- 
bellion and sedition." They were brought to trial almost immediately. 
This trial occupied several days, and created the wildest excitement. 
Stuyvesant occupied the bench, and Judge Van Dincklagen sat by his 



13b' HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

side. Lawyers were rare on this side of the water, hence the prisoners 
defended themselves, and they did it in an able manner. They produced 
ample proof to sustain their charges against Kieft, towards whom they 
said they had no vindictive feelings whatever. They admitted that in 
the heat of war, and smarting under the loss of property, they had com- 
plained to the authorities in Holland, but not to strangers, nor had any 
deception at any time been used. It was a singular tribunal; their case 
had been prejudged. They were pronounced guilty ; and capital 

July 25. . . . . ' r 

punishment was, lor a time, seriously contemplated. They were 
even denied the right of appeal to the Fatherland. " If I were persuaded 
that you woidd bring this matter before their High Mightinesses, I would 
have you hanged on the highest tree in New Netherlands said Stuyvesant, 
as he pronounced their sentence. Melyn was banished for seven years 
and fined three hundred guilders. Kuyter was banished for three years 
and tined one hundred and fifty guilders. The fines were to be given, 
one third to the attorney-general, one third to the church, and one third 
to the poor. The prisoners were required to sign a written promise that, 
in any place to which they might go, they would never complain, or 
speak in any way, of what they had suffered from Kieft and Stuyvesant. 
The Princess was about to sail for Holland, and they took passage, as did 
also Dominie Bogardus, who had been so disturbed by Kieft in his min- 
isterial labors that he resigned his charge and obtained per- 
mission to defend himself before the Classis of Amsterdam. The 
church Mas not left without a pastor, for Dominie Johannes Backerus, 
formerly clergyman at Curacoa, who had accompanied Stuyvesant to 
New Amsterdam, was installed as his successor, at a salary of fourteen 
hundred guilders per annum. 

Kieft had managed, during his few years in office, to acquire a large 
property, which he turned into money before taking his departure from the 
province. He had always entertained the idea that minerals abounded 
in the vicinity of Manhattan. A lump of mineral paint which an Indian 
displayed during the trial of Kuyter and Melyn had been tried in a 
crucible, and yielded three guilders' worth of gold. This induced him 
to obtain, through the aid of the willing Indians, a variety of specimens, 
which were nicely packed and taken with him to Europe. It was the 
last of gold-finding in this part of the country ; and it is more than proba- 
ble that all that was discovered was brought from some remote locality. 
Kieft sailed in the Princess, with the minister and the exiles. But the 
ill-fated vessel never reached its destination. It was wrecked on the 
rocky coast of Wales, and only about twenty persons were saved. They 
floated on pieces of the wreck to the shore. Among them were Kuyter 



THE WRECK OF THE PRINCESS. 



137 



and Melyn. Kieft, Dominie Bogardus, a son of Melyn, and eighty-one 
others perished. In the moment of agony, when all hope was aban- 
doned, Kieft confessed his injustice towards the two men whom he had 
wronged, and begged their forgiveness. Kuyter and Melyn proceeded to 
Holland, where the company afterwards reversed their sentence, and they 
returned with honor to this country. 

The sorrowful tidings of the death of Dominie Bogardus fell over the 
community like a pall. There was universal sorrow. His wife and 
children, who had remained behind, were the recipients of the most heart- 
felt sympathy and consideration But Kieft's fate excited very little 
feeling ; a fact which could not have escaped the notice of Stuyvesant. 

Before the middle of September, the pressure of public sentiment had 
been so great, and the opposition to the payment of the revenues so spir- 
ited and determined, that Stuyvesant concluded to recognize to a limited 
extent the principle of "taxation only by consent," which the Fatherland 
had maintained since 1477. He called a public meeting, and "Nine 
Men " were chosen to advise and assist in 
the affairs of the government. This repre- 
sentative body consisted of Augustine 1 leer- 
mans, Arnoldus Van Hardenburg, Govert 
Loockermans, Jan Jansen Dam, Jacob Van 
Couwenhoven, Hendrick Bap, Michael Jan- 
sen, Eveitsen Bout, and Thomas Hall. 

Names are the keys of family history, 
unlocking for us the secrets of ancestral 
lineage. It is well known that, in very 
many cases, members of distinguished fam- 
ilies sought here a field of enterprise and 
action which was denied them at home. 
Kip 1 was one of those persons, and his coat-of-arms, 2 engraved upon 




1 The De Kype family formerly lived near Alencon, Bretagne, France. Ruloff De Kype was 
a Roman Catholic. He fell in battle in 1562, and the Protestants under Conde burned his 
elegant chateau. His son, Jean Baptiste, who was a priest, secured his burial in a neigh boring 
church, where an altar-tomb was erected to his memory, surmounted by his arm9 with two 
crests. The youngest son, Ruloff, settled in Amsterdam, Holland, and became a Protestant. 
He died in 1596, and left one son, Hendrick (born 1576), who removed to this country in 1635, 
with his wife and children. He hail three sons, Hendrick, Jacob, and Isaac. Both himself and 
sons secured large tracts of land, and held prominent positions in the New Netherland gov- 
ernment. Hendrick married Anna De Sille in 1660, the daughter of Hon. Nacasius De Sille. 
Jacob married Marie La Jlontagne in 1654, the daughter of Dr. La Montague. Rachel, the 
daughter of the latter, married Lucas Kiersted, in 1 6S3, the grandson of Anetje Jans. 

* The coat-of-arms was painted also upon the window of the Dutch church in New Amster- 
dam. 



138 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

stone, was used ten years later by his son Jacob, who built it firmly into 
the wall over the front door of the house at Kip's Bay, where it re- 
mained untd the building was demolished, in 1851. Govert Loocker- 
mans, also, was a man of good birth as well as of strong character. He 
was married twice : first in Amsterdam, February, 1641, to Ariaentie Jans ; 
and second in New Amsterdam, July, 1649, to Maritje (Maria), the widow 
of Tymen Jansen. His daughter Maria, who married Balthazar Bayard 
in 1664, was born while on the voyage to America late in the autumn of 
1641. His daughter Jannetie (born 1643) became the second wife of 
Dr. Hans Kiersted. His step-daughter, Elsie Tymens, was twice married, 
her second husband, whom she wedded in 1663, being the celebrated 
Jacob Leisler. Two sisters, handsome and accomplished women, accom- 
panied Govert Loockermans to this country, one of whom married Jacob 
Van Couwenhoven ; the other, Anetje (or Ann, as the name was Angli- 
cised), was married to Oloff S. Van Cortlandt, in the Dutch Church of 
New Amsterdam, February 26, 1642. Loockermans bought a large tract 
of land and rented it out to laborers ; he owned two or three sailing 
vessels, erected a store, and became a thriving man of business. 

The winter which followed was memorable in the history of Stuy- 
vesant. He had shed his blood on battle-fields before he took up his 
abode in New Netherland ; but he had never encountered such a snarl of 
disputes as arose about the boundary lines of the province. It was the 
same subject continued which had pestered Kieft, and which seemed to 
grow more unwieldy and less likely to be settled every year. He was 
harassed also by the encroachments of the Swedes on the Delaware. 
And in the midst of his efforts to harmonize the contending parties, the 
Indians exhibited signs of uneasiness because their promised presents 
were in arrears. They demanded fire-arms, too, of the Dutch ; and, despite 
the new code of stringent laws, a contraband trade in this commodity was 
carried on. On one occasion, this crime was charged upon three hitherto 
respectable men, and they were tried and found guilty. Stuyvesant con- 
demned them to death ; but friends interceded, and their lives were 
spared, though their property was confiscated. Stuyvesant was engaged 
in frequent wrangles with the " Nine Men," who acted in the capacity 
of legislators, and held decided opinions of their own ; and he had still 
more serious controversies with the patroons, who interfered with the 
trade of the company, and denied the governor's authority over them. 
The subordinate officers of the government were captious and sometimes 
insolent, and all at once the people united with the New-Englanders in 

1 A Dutch Bible which once belonged to Govert Loockermans, and which is now in the 
library of the American Bible Society, contains memoranda of the family, written in Dutch. 



SCHOOLS AXJ> EDUCATION. 139 

one grievous complaint against the high custom-house duties. Verily, 
the governor's lines had not fallen in pleasant places. 

He found time, in the midst of his many and disagreeable 
duties, to think a little about the feeble settlement, which was cer- 
tainly in great need of friendly care. 

In June of that year, the first " fire-wardens " were appointed, at his 
suesestion. They were to inspect the chimneys between the fort 

, „„ 1 ! • T - JUlle 23 ' 

and the Fresh Water Pond. Their names were Adnaen Keyser, 
Thomas Hall, Martin Cregier, and George Woolsey. For a foul chimney, 
the owner was fined three guilders. If a house was burned through care- 
lessness in that respect, the occupant was fined twenty-five guilders. 
The fines were to be used to buy hooks, ladders, and buckets ; but it was 
several years before the fund became large enough to invest to any 
advantage. 

There were many little taverns springing up all over the lower part 
of the island, and Stuyvesant took it upon himself to inspect them; 
for he feared, with reason, that they seriously endangered the 
morals of the people, since they were but fountains of bad liquor, 
and the habitual resort of Indians and negroes. He made it therefore an 
indictable offense to keep one open without a license, and he required all 
those who received licenses to procure or build better buildings " for the 
adornment of the town." He also issued a proclamation that no hogs 
and goats should for the future be pastured between the fort and Fresh 
Water Pond, except within suitable inclosures. As the autumn rolled 
round, he established a weekly market, which was held on Mon- 
days. S i after, in imitation of one of the customs of Holland, 

lie instituted an annual cattle-fair, to commence every first Monday after 
the feast of St. Bartholomew and continue ten days. 

About that time, Jan Stevensen opened a small private school which 
was tolerably well patronized. The best families had generally their 
own private tutors direct from Europe ; but there were enough to su] >] m irt 
a school besides, and the new teacher found himself fully occupied. 
Stuyvesant was very earnest in the matter of providing means for " the 
education of every child in the colony." He wrote to the West India 
Company several times on the subject of establishing a public school, 
which he said ought to be furnished with at least two good teachers, lie 
related how, for a long time, they had passed round the plate among 
themselves, but "had only built the school with words, for the money 
thus collected was always needed for some other purpose." He expa- 
tiated upon the great necessity of instructing the youth, not only in 
reading and writing, but in the knowledge and fear of God. His sugges- 



140 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 




Van Rensselaer Arms on Window. 



tions were treated with marked respect by his employers, and in course 
of time met with a favorable response. 

The colony of Eensselaerswick had become, in the natural course 
of events, an independent power ; and all efforts on the part of the 
company to induce the patron to cede to 
them any of his rights had failed. Such 
a power was looked upon as very injuri- 
ous to the interests of the province ; and, 
since it could not be bought off, Governor 
Stuyvesant was instructed to circumscribe 
its jurisdiction as far as possible. The pa- 
troon, understanding what immunities were 
claimed for manors and municipalities in 
Europe, would hold no fellowship with a 
man who arrogated to himself supreme rul- 
ership in New Netherland, without proper 
regard for the feudal privileges granted by 
the charter of the company. Brant Van 
Slechtenhorst was the champion of the 
views of the late Van Rensselaer, as well 
as of the rights of the infant lord, and, being of a resolute temper, paid 
no attention to the governor's orders in any respect. 

Stuyvesant finally resolved to visit the colony in person, and with a mil- 
itary escort proceeded up the river. The fort itself and the land 
immediately about it were the property of the company. Van 
Slechtenhorst was summoned to answer for his contempt of authority. 
He did answer, and it was by protest to protest. He charged the governor 
with having interfered with him, contrary to ancient order and usage ; as 
if he, Stuyvesant, and not Van Eensselaer, were lord of the patroon's 
colony. Stuyvesant ordered that no buildings should be erected within 
a prescribed distance from Fort Orange, and Van Slechtenhorst declared 
such an order an aggression which could not be justified. He said the 
soil belonged to the patroon. Stuyvesant replied, that "the objectionable 
buildings endangered the fort." Slechtenhorst hotly pronounced the 
governor's argument a mere pretext. No definite results were obtained ; 
and, after Stuyvesant's departure, Slechtenhorst continued his improve- 
ments precisely as before. We can hardly realize, at this late day, that 
our republican State of New York once harbored within its borders 
something so nearly akin to a principality ; but such is the fact. Stuy- 
vesant wrote to Van Slechtenhorst that force would be used if he did not 
desist from erecting buildings ; but it only provoked a characteristically 



THE GOVERNORS FAILURE. 141 

impudent retort, and a criticism upon the technical formality of the gov- 
ernor's legal proceedings. Van Slechtenhorst followed up his reply to 
Stuyvesant by forbidding the company's commissary at Fort Orange to 
quarry stone or cut timber within the boundaries of the colony, while he 
himself was actively putting up houses for the patroon within pistol-shot 
of the fort. 

Stuyvesant, having been informed of this fact, dispatched a military 
force to arrest Van Slechtenhorst and demolish the buildings. 

Sept 21. 

Their mission was not performed to the letter, however. Van 
Slechtenhorst, who was himself a shrewd lawyer, refused to appear at Fort 
Amsterdam with his papers and commissions until a summons should he 
legally served : and he demanded a copy in writing of the governor's claims 
ami complaints. The Eensselaerswick colonists were angered at Stuyves- 
aut's hostile movements, ami the Mohawk savages were with difficulty re- 
strained from attacking the soldiers. After much confusion, the military 
company was withdrawn, the houses were left standing, and matters con- 
tinued unsettled. 

Dominie Megapolensis asked his dismission from the church at Eens- 
selaerswick during the summer, as did also Dominie Backerus from 
the church at Xew Amsterdam, both gentlemen wishing to return 
to Europe. The Classis of Amsterdam was then petitioned for "old, 
experienced, and godly ministers"; hut although every effort was 
made, and there were many consultations held in Holland with 
the Directors of the company and the heirs of Van Rensselaer, it was 
difficult to find " experienced " ministers willing to undertake such "a 
far distant voyage." 1 

The 1 Mitch could not fail to see that the colonies of their English neigh- 
bors, where neither patroons nor lords nor princes were known, were much 
more flourishing than theirown ; and they complained bitterly to the gov- 
ernor. He had made the same observations, but could not remedy the 
evils that were retarding the progress of Xew Netherlands and he was 
unreasonably jealous of any attempt on the part of others to institute 
reforms. Again a long correspondence about boundaries ensued with the 
Xew England authorities, and the tone of it was exceedingly bitter. 

Retaliation was threatened. Then Stuyvesant was accused of trying to 
instigate the Indians to rise up against theEnglish. He promptly 
vindicated himself and demanded an investigation. In the mean 
time he had written to the West India Company, praying that the 
boundary between the Dutch and English provinces might be settled in 
Europe. But, at this time, the distracted condition of affairs there in- 

1 Cor. C'lnssis Amst. 



142 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

duced the company to instruct their governor " to live with his neighbors 
on the best terms possible." 

Every great European event affected the prospects of the American 
colonies. Civil war was now raging in England. Charles I. was a 
prisoner in the hands of his subjects. He might perhaps have reigned to 
the end of a peaceful life, if he had been content to ride as a constitutional 
sovereign. At the same time, the Parliament party went beyond the 
limits of the constitution in their desire to preserve the constitution. 
The unfortunate king was tried, condemned, and executed in front of his 
own banqueting-hall. As he stood upon the scaffold, Gregory Brandon, 
bis executioner, fell on his knees before him and asked his forgiveness. 
" No!" said the king; " I forgive no subject of mine who comes delib- 
erately to shed my blood." The king spoke as became the chief 
magistrate and the source of the laws which were violated in his mur- 
der. He took off the medallion of the order of the Garter, and gave it to 
Juxon, saying with emphasis, " Remember! " Beneath the medallion of 
St. ( Jeorge was a secret spring which removed a plate ornamented with 
lilies, under which was a beautiful miniature of his beloved Henrietta. 
Tbe warning word which has caused so many historical surmises evidently 
referred to the fact that he had parted with the portrait of his wife only at 
the last moment of his existence. Queen Henrietta had escaped to the 
Louvre ; and her second son, James, was with her at the time she received 
the terrible news. Her eldest daughter, Maiy, was the wife of William 
[I., Prince of Orange; and thither Charles, Prince of Wales, and his 
brother James repaired for safety, while the broken-hearted queen 
retired, with one or two of her ladies, to St. Jacques, the Convent of 
the. Carmelites. 

But though England was declared a republic, the monarchical principle 
survived. There could be no republic ; and there was no republic. Polit- 
ical knowledge was not sufficiently advanced. It is as impossible to 
jump from monarchy to democratic equality, as to lay out new streets in 
a day through a city that is already crowded with massive structures. 
Cromwell saw the impossibility of a representative government, and 
wished to become king ; but the army, which was composed of republi- 
cans who acted conscientiously, would not allow it. He woidd have 
ruled constitutionally if he could ; but by him the English would not be 
so ruled. He, however, managed England's affairs far more wisely than 
they had ever been managed by a Stuart, though with an iron hand which 
be did not condescend to cover with a velvet glove. 

It was not, therefore, a favorable moment for the Dutch to quarrel with 
England or her colonies about mere boundary lines. But the " pride 



VAN CORTLANDT. 



143 




mid obstinacy" of Stuyvesant (for so his fierce energy was called) was 
increasing the number of his opponents at an alarming rate. At the 
second yearly election of the " Nine Men," Adriaen Van der Donck and 
tire able and respected Oloff S. Van Cortlandt were chosen members of 
the board. Van Cortlandt was a thriving merchant and one of the 
richest men in New Amsterdam. His 
estate, or a portion of it, lay on the west 
side of Broadway, near the street which 
perpetuates his name. The " Nine Men," 
at one of their subsequent meetings, deter- 
mined upon sending a delegation to Hol- 
land to demand certain reforms and regu- 
lations which had been promised by the 
company, and waited for patiently in vain. 
They asked permission to convene the peo 
pie, to confer on the subject " how expenses 
should be defrayed," etc. Stuyesant de- 
clined granting their request, and told 
them in writing "that communications 
van Cortlandt Arms. must be made with the company through 

the governor, and his instructions followed." 

The "Nine Men "thought differently. They promised Stuyvesant to 
send no document to Holland without giving him a copy, but pronounced 
his last demand " unreasonable and antagonistica] to the welfare of the 
country." As he would not allow the people to be convened, a committee 
from the "Nine Men " went from house to house to learn their opinions. 
This excited the governor's extreme displeasure, and various intrigues were 
resorted to, on his part, to counteract the influence of the popular tribunes. 
Among other things, he and his council summoned a meeting of delegates 
from the militia and towns-people, to consider the question of sending 
agents to the Fatherland on some important matters, not named. 

The "Nine Men" were, nevertheless, determined to carry out their 
plans. Van der Donck was appointed secretary, and was expected to 
keep a careful journal of the proceedings. He lodged in the house of 
Jan Jansen Dam. One day, in his absence, Stuyvesant sent to his cham- 
ber and seized all his papers, and the next morning ordered him to be 
arrested and thrown into prison. 

This high-handed measure was followed by a public meeting at the fori 
consisting of the governor, council, officers of the militia, and depu- 
tations from the citizens. Van Dincklagen, the Vice-Director, had 
a keen sense of justice ; and, as his superior had acted without his knowl- 



144 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

edge or approval in the matter of Van der Donck, he demanded that the 
prisoner be admitted on bail, and heard in his own defense. Stuyvesant 
refused. Angry words followed, on both sides. It soon became evident 
that the majority of the council were inclined to treat Van der Donck 
harshly. Van der Donck himself, seeing the turn events were taking, 
asked for his journal, that he might correct some errors in it ; but the 
request was refused. He was examined a few days later, and his 
conduct condemned " as tending to bring sovereign authority into 
contempt " ; and he was thereupon excluded from the executive council, 
and also from all legislative authority in connection with the " Nine Men." 
Van Dincklagen publicly disclaimed, and with great vehemence, his co- 
operation in this war against the free exercise of the right of petition. 

In the midst of the excitement, Cornelis Melyn, so recently banished 
in disgrace, suddenly appeared in Manhattan, restored to the full rights 
of a colonist, 1 and armed with a summons for Stuyvesant to answer for 
his conduct before the States-General and Prince of Orange without 
delay, either in person or by attorney. Determined to make his 
triumph as public as his former dishonor had been, he took ad- 
vantage of a meeting in the church in the fort, and demanded that the 
paper he held, containing the acts of their High Mightinesses, should be 
read then and there by one of the " Nine Men." After a noisy debate, he 
carried his point, and the mandamus and summons were read to the 
assemblage by Arnoldus Van Hardenburg. 

Stuyvesant was stung and humiliated beyond expression, but replied : 
" I shall honor the States-General by obeying their commands ; yet, until 
I am discharged by the company, an attorney must answer for me in 
Holland." He refused any conversation or communication with Melyn, 
and required an apology from each of his subordinates for their share in 
the transactions at the church. He appointed Van Tienhoveu and Jan 
Jansen Dam, whose daughter Van Tienhoven had married, as his repre- 
sentatives to the Hague. Van Tienhoven was admirably fitted for this 
mission. He was crafty, cautious, and sharp-witted. When he at- 
tempted to defend any plot or scheme, his eloquence had all the charm of 
sincerity. He is known to have been dishonest in a multitude of ways, 
and for that reason, as well as others, he had become generally disliked 
in the colony. He had been so long a servant of the company that he 
was intelligent as to its concerns ; and he knew the people and the con- 
dition of affairs as well as any one else, and perhaps better. Having 

1 Mass. Hist. Col., IX. 277. John Winthrop, Jr., received a letter from Roger Williams, 
saying, "Skipper Isaac and Melyn are come with a Dutch ship, bringing letters from the 
States-General calling home this Dutch governor to answer to many complaints." 



VAN DER DONCK. 145 

quarreled personally with several of the " Nine Men," lie was, from mo- 
tives of policy, a warm advocate for the governor. It is said that his 
curious tact and strength of will enabled him to maintain extraordinary 
influence over Stuyvesant for a series of years. He lived on an estate 
(if his own, west of Pearl Street and above Maiden Lane, his land ex- 
tending towards Broadway. 

The favor shown by the States-General to Melyn encouraged the " Nine 
Men" to persist in their efforts for a hearing. Van der Donck was 
regarded as a political martyr, and Melyn was just in time to throw fire- 
brands adroitly in every direction. He was eugaged, during his stay, as 
has since been supposed, in preparing Breeden Baedt, a quarto tract of 
forty-five pages, bearing date 1649, which was afterwards published in 
Antwerp, his native place. Some writers deny that he was the author 
of the work, alleging that it must have been written by a lawyer. So 
far as the dramatic character of various portions of it is concerned, it 
is one of the best executed and most effective of dialogues. It certainly 
could have been produced only by a genius. 1 But although very little 
is known of Melyn, we are not prepared to discredit his claim to its 
authorship, particularly as the information contained in it must have 
been founded upon his experience. 

It happened, about that time, that Stuyvesant received a case of fire- 
arms which he had ordered from Holland, agreeably to a suggestion from 
the company that the best policy was " to furnish them to the 
Indians with a sparing hand, lest their discontent lead them into 
open war." They were landed iif the tort, much to the astonishment and 
disapprobation of the people, who began to accuse the governor of 
doing the business of the whole country on his own responsibility. 
Finding how strongly public opinion was setting against him, he was 
obliged to produce the communication of his superiors and explain the 
whole matter. 

Meanwhile, the "Nine Men" had prepared a memorial, in which all 
the desired reforms were distinctly stated, and a Vertoogh, or remon- 
strance, annexed, giving the reasons and detailing the grievances of the 
people. Both documents were drafted by Van der Donck, and signed 
by each of the " Nine Men." The" Vertoogh Van Nieuw Nederlandt" 
was printed at the Hague in 1650, in the form of a quarto trait of 
forty-nine pages. Three of the signers, Van der Donck, Couwen- 
hoven, and Bout, were sent as delegates to the Hague, ami Van l>inek- 
lagen wrote a letter of credence by them to the States-General. They 

1 Historical Essay. By G. M. Asher. 

10 



146 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

sailed August 15. Dominie Backerus, who had been waited upon by the 
governor and forbidden to read from the pulpit any papers not 
' previously sanctioned by the administration, and Melyn, were 
passengers in the same vessel. Through the earnest entreaties of Stuy- 
vesant, Dominie Megapolensis remained at Manhattan, although his wife 
had sailed a short time before. 

Van Tienhoven had already been gone fourteen days when the dele- 
gates left New Netherland ; but he missed the straight course, and was the 
last to arrive in Holland. He had with him a mass of exculpatory docu- 
ments, and letters from Stuyvesaut to the States-General, telling them 
that many of the papers necessary for his justification in the case of 
K inter and Melyn had been lost with the Princess, etc. Also that 
Melyn " had abused their safe-conduct and behaved mutinously," and 
that he " would rather never have received the commission of their High 
Mightinesses than have his authority lowered in the eyes of both 
neighbors and subjects." 
Both parties appeared before the States-General, and a tedious exami- 
nation, occupying the whole winter, followed. It had a beneficial effect 
upon New Netherland, in so far as it brought the distant and almost 
unknown province squarely before the public. It put the idea of migrat- 
ing hither into the heads of hundreds of persons. The West India Com- 
pany were wedded to the existing order of things, and sustained their 
governor. They said those who took umbrage at his haughtiness " were 
such as sought to live without either magistrates or law." They were 
not in favor of investing the "Nine Men " with the administration of 
justice, in any degree. Melyn, having placed his cause in the hands of 
an attorney, exerted himself to promote the settlement of Staten Island. 
He interested one of the influential noblemen of the States-General, 
Baron Van der Capellen, 1 who, in company with some wealthy mer- 
chants, bought and equipped a vessel, New Netherlands Fortime, and 
sent her freighted with farmers and their families to the picturesque 
island. The States-General embodied a list of reforms as to the manage- 
ment of New Netherland affairs, in a " Report " which was submitted to 
the Amsterdam Chamber, accompanied by the draft of a Provisional 
Order, providing for a better system of government, It provoked deter- 
mined opposition from the members of that body, and a renewal of accu- 
sations against those who had risen up to injure the company and their 
servants. A copy of it, however, was forwarded to Stuyvesaut by Cou- 
wenhoven and Bout on their return, who brought also letters from the 

1 Yonkheer Hendrick Van der Capellen, of Ryssel, was Huron of Essels and Hasselt, an.] 
represented tin- principality of Gebre anil tin- earldom of Zutphen in tin- States-General. 



VAN DER DONCK IN HOLLAND. 147 

States-General, forbidding the governor to molest them. Van der Donck 
remained in Holland, to watch the interests of the New Netherland peo- 
ple, and did not return to America for several years. During that period, 
he contributed greatly towards bringing this country into notice and im- 
proving its institutions. In 1652, he was made Doctor of Laws at Leyden 
He died in New Amsterdam in L655, leaving the colony of Colon Donck, 
or Yonkers (his baronial estate), to his wife, who subsequently married 
Hugh O'Neal. The property, after changing owners two or three times. 
became a part of the celebrated Philipse manor. 

In the same vessel with the delegates came Dirck Van Schelluyne, a 
Hague lawyer, who was licensed to practice his profession in New Am- 
sterdam. He opened an office in one corner of a grocery-store, i 6S0 . 
and hung out a sign of " Notary Public." His commissioned duty A|,nl 
was "to serve process and levy executions." He eventually removed to 
Rensselaerswick, and ten years later was secretary of that colony. In the 
upper part of the same grocery, a small school was opened during the 
month of April by Jan Cornelissen. 

Early in the spring, men were employed to repair Fort Amsterdam ; but 
the work progressed slowly. The governor issued another proclamation 
forbidding the running at large of cows, hogs, ami goats, without a herds- 
man, between the fort and the company's farm, and the pasture-ground 
occupied by Thomas Hall and the house of Mr. Isaac Allerton. Mr. 
Allerton was an Englishman who came over in the Mayflower to Plym- 
outh, and had now taken up his residence at Manhattan. 1 He lived m 
a stone house on the hill, near Beekman Street ; and he also owned a large 
warehouse or store. He was in partnership with Govert Loockermans. 
The merchants of those days dealt in every class of merchandise, and 
raised their own poultry and pork, as well as made their own butter. A 
general law was passed that year, to the effect that" inasmuch as the hogs 
spoil the roads and make them difficult of passage fir wagons and carts, 
every man must stick rings through the noses of such animals as be- 
long to him." 

1 Isaac Allerton is said to have hail the best head tor business, and to have been one of the 
most stirring persons, among the first settlers of Massachusetts. He made five voyages to 
England in the interests of the colony before 1631. He finally quarreled with Plymouth and 
removed to Marblehead, where he built a tnge fishing-house and several vessels. It was he 
who sent to Ipswich for Parson Avery ; and it was his ill-fated shallop which was dashed 
against the rock, since known as " Avery's Rock," — a disaster, the story of which has been 
retold in one of Whittier's rarest poems. Allerton soon quarreled with Winthrop's General 
Court, which gave him "leave to depart from Marblehead." Tin- impulse which he gave 
to trade was never wholly lost ; and, at this moment, tie- finest building in that ancient 
town, tor business purposes, is "Allerton Block," a nana' the historj of which is almost mi- 
known. 



148 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Brewing seems to have been a favorite occupation, and was a source of 
much profit, l'ieter and Jacob Couwenhoven, brothers, who came to 
New Amsterdam in 1633, made quite a fortune in that way, and car- 
ried on at the same time a brisk trade in flour, which was bolted 
' in windmills. A law, in the early part of 1650, required bakers 
to make their bread of the standard weight, and to use nothing but pure 
wheat and rye flour, as it came from the mill This precaution was to 
silence the complaints about the " poverty and leanness " of the common 
bread. The crops were not good this year, in consideration of which a 
law was made, in the autumn, forbidding any one to malt or brew wheat, 
and also decreeing that no wheat, rye, or baked bread should be sold 
out of the province. 

The winter of 1650 was one of great severity. It was so cold that 
" ink froze in the pen." There was much distress, as food was scarce 
and prices necessarily high. When the governor, in the face of it, vic- 
tualed the company's vessels on their way to Curacoa, the " Nine Men " 
were surprised and indignant, and not only remonstrated but accused 
hiin openly of " wanton imprudence " in thus diminishing supplies which 
were already too scanty. It was about the time that the delegates arrived 
from Holland. They brought with them arms and a stand (if colors for 
the burgher guard ; an act which infuriated Stuyvesant, who refused to 
have them delivered. A great commotion ensued in consecpience. The 
" Nine Men " pronounced it a tyrannical outrage, and for their persistent 
interference with his prerogative Stuyvesant publicly deprived them of 
their pew in church. Both parties wrote letters of accusation to the au- 
thorities in Holland ; and, what is remarkable, the English residents in 
the province defended the governor, and endorsed his sentiments, charging 
all the " schisms " upon the returned delegates. 

In September, the long-contemplated and repeatedly postponed meeting 
of the Dutch and New England worthies took place at Hartford. It was 
hoped to settle beyond any further question the boundary line 
between the two territories. Stuyvesant traveled in state, with 
quite a train of attendants. The voyage occupied four days. He was re- 
ceived with much ceremony, and courteously entertained by the governor 
of Hartford. When the commission assembled, Stuyvesant proposed to 
carry on the negotiations in writing. He gave two reasons for this which 
had sufficient weight to prevent any objections from his opponents : that 
it would give greater accuracy to the proceedings, and that it would 
save time, as he could not speai the English language with fluency. But 
his first paper provoked sharp argument on account of its date, " New 
Netherland," and the New England gentlemen declined to s;o on with 



ISAAC ALLERTOX. 



149 



the business until "Connecticut" was substituted instead. Stuyvesanl 
apologized. He said the draft of the paper had been substantially agreed 
upon 1 >y himself and council before he left New Amsterdam, and translated 
and copied by his English secretary, George Baxter, on the voyage ; as 
for the date, he supposed it was proper, but was entirely willing to com- 
ply with their wishes. After that, the discussion of national and ter- 
ritorial and individual rights proceeded slowly, but with considerable tact 
and discretion as well as earnestness. I >ver a week had been consumed, 
when they finally agreed to submit the issue to arbitrators. Simon Brad- 
street and Thomas Prince were chosen for New England, and Thomas 
Willett and George Baxter for New Netherland. Their decision was 
accepted. It was, however, never ratified in England; and the fact that 
Stuyvesant had confided the interests of the Dutch to two 
Englishmen raised a storm of discontent in his own province. ' 
Vice-Director Van Dincklagen had had no voice in the matter, and was 
greatly offended. The "Nine Men" declared that "the governor had 
ceded away territory enough to found fifty colonies each four miles 
square." There was a grand union of sentiment that it was an insult 
to the Dutch for Englishmen to be appointed to fix the English bounda- 
ries. Stuyvesant remained in Hartford some days alter his business was 
accomplished, hoping to make arrangements whereby the Indians should 
be placed upon a permanent footing of good behavior. He was treated by 
his well-bred neighbors with a distinguished attention, at which he was 
much pleased. His return voyage was exceedingly rough, and his wel- 
come home by an angry community anything but cordial. The freedom 
of speech of the "Nine Men" was so exasperating, that he threatened 
the body with dissolution. At the next election, he absolutely refused to 
select from the nominations to fill vacancies in their board. Again they 
appealed to the States-General for the reformation of this " grievous and 
unsuitable government" ; and Melyn, at the Hague, used his influence to 
the utmost against the New Netherland governor. 




150 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER X 

1650 - 1654. 
THE SPIRIT OF POPULAR FREEDOM. 

The Confiscated Vessel. — Governor Stuyvbsant's Body-Guard. — Rensselaerswick. 
— The Schuyler Family. — The Navigation- Act. — Rev. Samuel Drisius. — 
African Slavery. —The Birth of the City.. — The First City Fathers. — 
Allard Anthony. — William Beekman. — The Prayer of the City Fathers. — 
Military Preparations. — Van der Donck. — Hon. Nicasics De Sille. — The 
Diet of New Amsterdam. — Oliver Cromwell. — Peace between England and 
Holland. 

" /~\ Tit great Muscovy duke keeps on as of old ; something like the 

V_/ wolf, the longer he Lives the worse he bites." Thus wrote Van 

Dincklagen to Van der Donck. The West India Company, unwilling to 

relinquish any of its power, was arrayed like a bulwark of iron against 

the spirit of popular freedom which the colonists were urging 

and which was countenanced by the States-General. It was a 

struggle for the elective franchise, and its Icing subsequent effects were 

of such a character that, while few portions of our history are more 

obscure, none are more important or instructive. 

In this extraordinary controversy, the governor, the West India Com- 
pany, and the English residents of New Netherland were on one side, 
and the States-General and the Dutch colonists on the other. "The 
power to elect a governor among ourselves would be our ruin," was the 
expression of the English residents, in a Memorial sent to the company. 
" I shall do as I please," was Stuyvesant's reply more than once, when 
his attention was called to some order or suggestion from the States- 
General which had not been indorsed by the Amsterdam Chamber. 
His mind was vigorous and acute, and he never lacked the courage 
to carry out to the very letter the pecidiar policy of his immediate 
employers. 

Van Dincklagen was a constant thorn in the governor's side. He was 
a quick-witted, sagacious politician, — a man who was considered eligi- 
ble to the highest office, and who had accepted a subordinate position with 



THE CONFISCATED V ESS EL. L51 

a bad grace. He stood ready to seize upon every mistake of executive 
judgment, and, with caustic satire, to hold it up to the popular view in its 
most unfavorable light. He was an advocate of no mean pretensions; 
and when Melyn arrived in the New Netherla/nd's Fortwne, it was he 
who investigated the cause of the unusually lone voyage. He discov- 
ered that boisterous seas had delayed the vessel, that " water had fallen 
short," and the "last biscuit beeu divided among the passengers," and 
that the captain had been obliged to put into Rhode Island to refit and 
replenish his stores. Stuyvesant took his seat upon the bench beside 
Van Dincklagen, aud pronounced a remarkable decision. It was one of 
the regulations of the West India Company that vessels should not 
"break bulk " between Holland and New Amsterdam; and he took t hi* 
ground that the delay in this case was " needless and unjustifiable,' and 
proceeded to seize the ship and cargo, supposing them to belong to Melyn 
The ship was sold to Thomas Willett, who sent it on a voyage to Vir- 
ginia and Holland. At the latter place it was replevied by Baron Van 
der Capellen, and after a protracted litigation the company was obliged 
to pay heavy damages. 

Melyn again took possession of his lands on Staten Island, which, in 
order to promote his greater security, Van Dincklagen had formerly 
purchased of the Raritans in the name of Baron Van der Capellen ; but 
he was presently summoned to New Amsterdam by the governor 
to answer to various charges. Dreading the encounter, he failed 
in obey ; and, in consequence of this, his house and lot in the city were 
confiscated ami sold by the government. Expecting that an effort would 
be made to arrest him at his country -house, he established ami fortified 
a manorial court on one of the petty eminences overlooking what is 
now the village of Clifton. He was not disturbed, but he was soon 
after accused of trying to influence the Indians against Stuyvesant, and 
the councd were induced to pass a resolution that the governor should 
henceforth be constantly attended by a body-guard of four halberdiers. 

Van Dincklagen ridiculed this action on the part of his colleagues. 
He denied the absurd stories in regard to Melyn. He even volunteered 
to bring the chiefs of the Raritan and other tribes to the fort, to prove 
the falsity of the charge that " one hundred and seventeen savage- had 
teen supplied with arms and ammunition ! " 

About the same time, Van Dincklagen, with the assistance o\ Van 
Dyck, prepared and sent an elaborate 'protest to the States-General, in 
which he claimed to picture the popular griefs and the general 
dissatisfaction of the colonists with the administration. When it 
came to the knowledge of Stuyvesant, he was thoroughly enraged. 



152 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Without a moment's hesitation, he ordered Van Dincklagen to be expelled 
from the council board. The Vice-Director flatly refused to leave, on the 
ground that his commission was from the same supreme authority as that 
of the governor himself. However that might be as a question of law, 
Stuyvesant waited only until a file of soldiers could be summoned, before 
ordering Van Dincklagen to be dragged from the room and thrown into 
prison. The affair created an intense sensation. Van Dincklagen's wife 
and daughter went to the prison to see him, and were denied admittance. 
Stuyvesant was denounced by many as jealous and exacting, and by 
others warmly applauded for his prompt action. He was sustained by 
the majority of the council. In the course of a few days, Van Dinck- 
lagen was released from confinement, but was allowed no further par- 
ticipation in the government. He retired to Melyn's manor-house on 
Staten Island, where he met with cordial sympathy. Van Dyck, because 
of the part he had taken in the complaint, was removed from office ; 
and the lawyer, Schelluyne, who attested the protest, was forbidden 
to practice his profession. Loockermans and Heermans, who lent some 
assistance, were prosecuted and heavily fined. 

While these and similar events were agitating Manhattan, Van Tien- 
hoven, at Amsterdam, was amusing himself by playing the gallant lover 
to the pretty young daughter of a respectable fur-merchant. Pretending 
to be a single man, he won her affections under promise of marriage, 
and finally persuaded her to elope with him to America. Having sub- 
mitted an able defense of Stuyvesant and his officers to the States- 
General, he was about to embark, when a message sent in hot haste to 
the Amsterdam Chamber ordered him to report immediately at the 
Hague for examination by their High Mightinesses. The summons re- 
quired also the presence of his father-in-law, Jan Jansen Dam. The pro- 
test of Van Dincklagen had been received, and Van der Donck had replied 
to Van Tienhoven's defense in a spirited and effective manner. Greatly 
annoyed at the delay, Van Tienhoven proceeded to the Hague. He was 
arrested, the very evening of his arrival, on the charge of adultery. In 
the course of two or three days he made his escape, and reached the 
vessel bound for New Amsterdam in time to secure his passage. The 
capture of the cargo of a Portuguese merchant-vessel on the voyage is 
supposed to have subsequently secured his acquittal ; but he was hope- 
lessly disgraced. His return to New Amsterdam was a misfortune to the 
community. He was likened to "an evil spirit scattering torpedoes." 

Eensselaerswick was so far from the capital that it was not affected 
by these disturbances. It continued to grow, while the progress of 
New Amsterdam was seriously retarded. Van Slechtenhorst had stood 



RENSSELAERSWICK. 



153 



out boldly against the governor, and extended the limits of the patroon's 
colony, until he had at last been arrested and imprisoned for four months 
in the fort at New Amsterdam. He made his escape by secreting him- 
self on a sloop bound for Albany, the skipper of which he had fully 
indemnified against possible harm. Stuyvesant arrested the skipper on 
his return, and fined him two hundred and fifty guilders and (.cists. Van 
Slechtenhorst estimated the whole expense of his luckless trip down the 
Hudson at about one thousand guilders. He soon after issued an order 
that all the householders and freemen of his colony should take the 
oath of allegiance to the patroon and his representatives. The occasion 
of this was the fear that Stuyvesant would execute his threatened pur- 
pose of extending the jurisdiction of Fort Orange, and so sever- 

1 O •> . . Nov. 28. 

ing from the colony the populous little village of Beverwyek, 
which lay close to and around the citadel, and which was every day 
becoming more valuable. Among those who bound themselves " to 
maintain and support offensively and defensively " the interests of 
Rensselaerswick, was John Baptist Van Rensselaer, a younger half- 
brother of the patroon, who had just been appointed to the magis- 
tracy of the colony. 1 Philip Pietersen Schuyler, the ancestor of the 
American family of Schuylers, had been in Eensselaerswick a little more 
than a year, and had also taken the oath 
of allegiance to the patroon. He had 
recently married Margritta, one of the 
daughters of the cool and fearless Van 
Slechtenhorst. He was a young man of 
ability, and was already actively assisting 
in the management of public affairs. To 
prepare the reader for an acquaintance 
with the different members of his family 
as they shall be introduced from time to 
time in future chapters, we digress a 
moment to speak of his ten children. 2 
Guyshert was the eldest son, — a man 
of whom very little is known. Gertrude 
Schuyler Arms on Wmdow W;,s ^he eldest daughter, 1 >eaiit i t'ul, edu- 

cated, and high-bred, — indeed, the belle 
of Rensselaerswick, prior to her marriage and removal to New Amster- 
dam as Mrs. Stephanus Van Cortlandt. Alida, the second daughter, was 
scarcely less attractive than her sister. She married, when only seven- 

1 Holgate's American Geanology. 

2 O'Callaghan, II. 174, 177. La Potherie's History of North America. 




L54 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF XEW YORK. 




teen, the Kev. Nicolaus Van Rensselaer; and, after his death, the famous 
Robert Livingston. Peter, the next son in the order of age, was the first 
mayor of Albany. He was the great colonel whose wise counsels and 

personal exertions at one 



period preserved the prov- 
ince from an Indian war ; 
and who, at another, es- 
corted five Indian chiefs 
to England to persuade 
the government to drive 
the French out of Canada. 
In 1719, as the oldest 
member of the executive 
council, he assumed, for a 

Schuyler Mansion at the Flats in 1875. J^^P^ft^^'^i season, tile entire e,u\elll- 

. ' ■ 

nius for trade than for %$&. '-<' .™^v, command, went, when 
quite young, to New Amsterdam, ■*-==-- where he married, in 1682, 
Cornelia Van Cortlaiidt, the daughter of Oloff S. Van Cortlandt, and 
sister of Stephanus. Arent likewise took up his abode in the metropolis. 2 
Sibylla died in infancy. Philip settled in Albany. John, the youngest 
son, held a captain's commission in 169U, when only twenty-three years of 
age, and led into Canada an expedition which achieved a brilliant victory 
over the French and Indians. He was the grandfather of General Philip 
Schuyler, of Revolutionary memory. The youngest daughter was Mar- 
gritta. The elder Schuyler died at Albany, March 9, 1684 His will 
hears date May 1, 1683, O. S. 

On New Year's evening, the soldiers at Fort Orange became hilarious, 

and a tew of them started out on a frolic. Coming in front of the house 

1658. of Van Slechtenhorst, they ignited some cotton and threw it upon 

Jan. i. the roof. The inmates almost immediately discovered the fire, 

and by active exertions saved the building from destruction. The next 

day, a son of Van Slechtenhorst met some of the soldiers in the street, and 

accostin" them in relation to the mischief thev had occasioned, 

Jan. 2. ° . 

threatened them sharply; whereupon they charged upon him, 
threw him down, and having severely beaten him, dragged him through 
the mud. Schuyler hastened to the assistance of his brother-in-law; 
but Dyckman, the commander of the fort, who stood by, swore he 
would run him through with his drawn sword if he did not keep put of 
the way. Others who rushed into the fray received severe blows. 

1 He married, Oct. 25, 1672, Maria, daughter of Kilian Van Rensselaer. 
* The ancestor of the New Jersey branch of the family. 



EDICTS OF STUYVESANT. 155 

The friends of Van Slechtenhorst vowed revenge; and, this coming to 
Dyckman's ears, he ordered the guns of the fort to be loaded with grape 
and turned upon the patroon's house, declaring he would batter it down 
While things were in this chaotic state, there arrived from Stuyvesant 
some placards, which declared the jurisdiction of Fort Orange to ex- 
tend over a circumference of six hundred paces (about one hundred and 
fifty rods) around the fortress. These Dyckman was ordered to publish. 
With nine armed men, the military commander proceeded to the court- 
room where the magistrates of the colony were in session, and de- 

° ' Feb. 8. 

manded that the placards should be published through the colony 
with the sound of a bell. As it was contrary to law for any man to enter 
another's jurisdiction with an armed posse without the previous consent 
of the local authorities, Van Slechtenhorst ordered the intruder to leave 
the room, exclaiming, " It shall not be done as long as we have a drop 

of lil 1 in our veins, nor until we receive orders from their High 

Mightinesses and our honored masters." 

Dyckman retired, but returned presently with an increased force. He 
ordered the porter to ring the bell, and that being vigorously opposed, 
he proceeded to the fort and caused the bell there to be rung three 
times. He then returned to the steps of the court-house and directed his 
deputy to read the placards. As the latter was about to obey. Van 
Slechtenhorst rushed forward and tore the paper from his hands, " so 
that the seals fell on the ground." Some violent words followed ; but 
young Van Eensselaer, standing by, said to the crowd, "Go home, my 
good friends ! 'tis only the wind of a cannon-ball fired six hundred paces 
off." 

A messenger was sent down the river to Stuyvesant, who at once for- 
warded another placard to Dyckman, with orders to publish it, and also to 
affix copies of it to posts erected on the new line, north, south, and west 
of the fort. Within these bounds, for the future, no house was to lie built, 
except by the consent of the governor and council, or of those authorized to 
act for them. This act, severing forever the village of Beverwyck from 
Van Rensselaer's colony, was pronounced illegal, and in direct violation 
of the sixth article of the charter of 1629. Van Slechtenhorst sent a 
constable to tear the posters down contemptuously, and drew up a long 
remonstrance against the unbecoming pretensions of the governor, who 

he declared had no authority over the colony whatever. The patr i's 

lands, he said, had been erected into a perpetual fief, which no order 
emanating from the West India Company was sufficient to 

D » • April 1. 

destroy. This paper was denounced by the governor and coun- 
cil as a "libellous calumny." Dyckman set afloat a rumor that Stuy- 



156 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

vesant was about to visit Fort Orange, and that he was preparing a gal- 
lows for Van Slechtenhorst, his son, and young Van Rensselaer. 

Stuyvesant, after dealing with a number of refractory persons in New 
Amsterdam, some of whom he put in confinement and bastinadoed others 
with a rattan, repaired to the troubled regions at the north. He sent a 
party of soldiers to Van Slechtenhorst's house with an order to the patroon 
to strike his nag, which the latter peremptorily refused to do. They then 
entered the inclosure, fired a volley from their loaded muskets, and 
hauled down the Hag themselves. Stuyvesant immediately erected a 
court of justice in Beverwyck, apart from and independent of that of 
Rensselaerswiek ; but the notice of this, having been affixed to the court- 
house of the latter colony, was torn down, and a proclamation asserting 
the rights of the patroon posted in its place. The next day, nine armed 
men broke into Slechtenhorst's house and forcibly conveyed him to Fort 
Orange, where neither his wife, children, nor friends were allowed to speak 
with him. His furs, his clothes, and his meat were left hanging to the 
door-posts. It was not long ere he was conveyed to New Amsterdam ; 
but he was not confined in the hold of the fort there, as has been asserted. 
He was under " civil arrest," and spent a portion of his time on Staten 
Island. 

John Baptist Van Rensselaer took Van Slechtenhorst's place provision- 
ally, and was afterwards formally appointed commander of the col- 
ony by the patroon. Gerrit Swart succeeded to the office of sheriff; 
Rev. Gideon Schaets was installed as clergyman, and retained that posi- 
tion for over thirty years. His salary was $ 380 per annum. 
' Before returning to New Amsterdam, Stuyvesant confirmed the 
authority of the West India Company by issuing patents to some of the 
principal colonists for tracts of land within the confines of Beverwyck. 
It was thus that the germ of the present city of Albany was rescued 
from feudal jurisdiction. 

On the 28th of March, Van Tienhoven was appointed to the office of 
sheriff, which had been made vacant by the removal of Van Dyck. 

Mar. 28. J J 

"Were an honorable person to take my place, I should not so 
much mind it," bewailed the latter ; " but here is a public, notorious, and 
convicted whoremonger and oath-breaker, who has frequently come out 
of the tavern so full of strong drink that he was forced to lie down in the 
gutter, while the fault of drunkenness could not easdy be imputed to me." 

Carel Van Brugge succeeded Van Tienhoven as secretary of the prov- 
ince, and Adriaen Van Tienhoven became receiver-general, in place of 
his brother. 

The death of William II., Prince of Orange, in 1650, left vacant the 



THE NAVIGATION ACT. 15 7 

office of stadtholder, and that dignity remained in abeyance during the 
minority of William III. This event led to the recognition of the Eng- 
lish Commonwealth by the 1 )ut <-h Republic in January, 1651. Delegates 
were sent from England to the Hague to negotiate a league of amity and 
confederation between the two nations. Some of the visionary enthusi- 
asts in Parliament even entertained the idea of making' the two republics 
one, to be governed by a council sitting at London, composed of Dutch- 
men and Englishmen. To effect this, the embassy was instructed to use 
the most adroit diplomacy ; but their first act was to demand that all 
the English fugitives should be expelled from Holland. This decided 
the matter. The Dutch government at once assumed a haughty air. 
The people of the Netherlands were attached to the house of Orange, and 
did not relish the presence of the executioners of the unhappy grandfather 
of William III. 1 They openly, and on every possible occasion, insulted 
the ambassadors, who finally returned to England, determined to de- 
stroy the commercial ascendency of the Dutch. 2 The celebrated Act 
of Navigation was accordingly carried through Parliament. Hencefor- 
ward the commerce between England and her colonies, as well as that 
between England and the rest of the world, was to be conducted in ships 
solely owned and principally manned by Englishmen. Foreigners might 
carry to England nothing but those products of their respective coun- 
tries which were the established staples of those countries. The act was 
leveled at the commerce of the Dutch, and destroyed one great source 
of their prosperity, while some letters of reprisal issued by English mer- 
chants brought eighty Dutch ships as prizes into English ports. The 
act was, after all, but a protection of British shipping. It contained not 
one clause which related to a colonial monopoly, or was specially inju- 
rious to an American colony. In vain did the Dutch expostulate against 
the breach of commercial amity. England loved herself better than she' 
loved her neighbors. P>ut. as might have been expected, a naval war was 
the consequence. The first battle between the forces of the Neth- 

May 29. 

erlands and the English Commonwealth was fought in the Straits 

of Dover, on the 29th of May, 1652. Other battles followed in which the 

Dutch were, victorious, and the triumphant Van Tromp sailed along 

. Dec. 9. 

the English coast with a broom at his masthead, to indicate that 
he had swept the Channel of English ships. 

The States-General had remonstrated so often and so earnestly with the 

1 Ailzema, III. 638-663. Thurloe's Stale Paper*, I. 174, 179, 182, 183, 187-195. Vi rhatl 
Van Beveming, 61, 62. 

2 Common's Journal, VII. 27. Anderson, II. 415.416. Lingard, XI. 128. Davis, II. 
707-710. Bancroft, I. 215, 216. 



L58 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Wist India Company in regard to the mismanagement of New Nether- 
land, that the Amsterdam Chamber finally deemed it wise to pour a little 
oil upon the bleeding wounds of the colonists. They took off the export 
duty from tobacco; reduced the price of passage to New Amsterdam; 
allowed the colonists to procure negroes from Africa; sent supjjlies of 
ammunition to be distributed at a " decent price " ; assented to 
the establishment of a public school; and granted a burgher gov- 
ernment to New Amsterdam, similar to that of the cities of the Father- 
find. In the vessel which brought these dispatches were several dis- 
tinguished passengers, among whom was Dominie Samuel Drisius, a 
learned divine, who could preach in English, Dutch, and French, and who 
came to New Amsterdam as colleague to Dominie Megapolensis, at a 
salarj of $580 per annum. 

Tin.' public school was opened in one of the small rooms of the great 
stone tavern, and Dr. La Montague offered to teach until a suitable master 
could be obtained from Holland. Meanwhile the States-General had re- 
solved to recall Governor Stuyvesant, They prepared their mandate and 
intrusted it to Van der Donck, who was about to sail for New Amsterdam. 
This extraordinary measure aroused the Amsterdam Chamber; they in- 
terfered, and at last persuaded the States-General that, in view of the 
rapture with England, they needed a man of Stuyvesant's military char- 
acter and experience to guard their American possessions. A messenger 
was therefore sent to Texel, where Van der Donck was upon the eve of 
sailing, and the letter of recall was obtained and destroyed. Thus 
Stuyvesant received nothing of his threatened humiliation. An 
order reached him, however, that Schelluyue should be unmolested in his 
practice of notary-public. 

The towns of Middleburg and Flatbush were commenced this year. 
There were also large tracts of land ceded to different parties on hong 
Island, in New Jersey, and on the banks of the North River. But pros- 
perity was not ready to bless the slow-growing community, and its off- 
shoots and branches developed with strange tardiness. One of the great- 
est wants of the colony was skilled labor, and, indeed, labor of every kind. 
Efforts had been made to procure it from Holland, but with very little 
success. Negroes had occasionally been brought to Manhattan and sold, 
but the demand for servants was far beyond the supply. The new law of 
the company, which permitted the colonists to ecmip vessels and sail to the 
roasts of Angola, in Africa, to procure negroes for themselves, was the 
signal for the fitting out of several vessels exclusively for the slave-trade 
and the bringing to New Netherland of a large invoice of the colored 
population of the torrid zone. Every family who could afford it invested 



AFRICAN SLAVERY. 



ir><i 



1653. 

Feb. 2. 



in this branch of industry. But it was wretchedly unsatisfactory The 
slaves were ignorant and intensely stupid. Twenty-five of such as were 
imported at that time could hardly perform as much work as three, a 
hundred years later. 

Whilethe.se voyages were occupying the attention of the enterprising 
merchants of Manhattan, an interesting moment arrived. A new 
city appeared in the annals of the world. Its birth was an- 
nounced on the evening of February 2, 1653, at the feast of Can- 
dlemas. A proclamation of the governor defined its exceedingly limited 
powers and named its first officers. It was called New Amsterdam 
There was nothing in the significant scene which inspired enthusiasm. 
It came like a favor grudgingly granted. Its privileges were few, and even 
those were subsequently hampered by the most illiberal interpretations 
which could be devised. Stuyvesant made a speech on the occasion, in 
which he took care to reveal his intention of making all future municipal 
appointments, instead of submitting the matter to the votes of the citizens, 
as was the custom in the Fatherland; and lie gave the officers distinctly 
to understand from the first, that their existence did not in any way 

diminish his authority, but 
thai he should often preside 
at their meetings, and at all 
times counsel them in mat- 
ters of importance. They 
were not to have a sheriff of 
their own; but Van Tien- 
hoven, the provincial sheriff, 
might officiate for the cor- 
poration. Neither was it, 
deemed requisite that they 
should have a scribe ; but 
Jacob Kip, the newly .ap- 
pointed secretary of the prov- 
ince, was notified to attend 
their meetings and do such 

Kips Mansion. Writing as seemed necessary. 

He was a young man of spirit and intelligence, tall, handsome, and ex- 
tremely popular. The following year, he married Marie La Montague, 
the daughter of Dr. La Montague, a beautiful girl of sixteen. He om tied 
a farm of one hundred and fifty acres on the Fast River, and soon after 
his marriage erected a house upon it, and went there to reside. The 
locality was, and is still, known as Kip's Lay. 




160 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF XEW YORK. 

This Kip mansion subsequently became famous. It was once or twice 
rebuilt, and five generations of the Kip family were born in it. It was, 
for a short time, during the American Revolution, the head-quarters of 
General Washington. It was one of the landmarks of the olden time that 
was ruthlessly pushed aside, by the corporation, at the opening of Thirty- 
fifth Street, on the direct line of which it stood. The sketch is a fair 
illustration of the style of the better class of farm-houses on Manhattan 
Island, during the early period. The new city contained a number of 
good stone dwellings, which had a substantial and aristocratic air, as if 
inhabited by people of wealth and cultivated tastes. There were many 
English and French, as well as Dutch, residents who were well con- 
nected in Europe ; and, from whatever cause they had been induced to 
.emigrate, they were not likely to turn barbarians because they were in 
a new country. Good breeding cannot be taken on and put off so readily. 
Many struggled along for years with wants uusupplied ; but when, with 
increase of means, they were able to provide the comforts and luxuries 
to which they had been born, they were not slow to embrace the oppor- 
tunity. The refinement and culture of these gave tone, even at that 
early date, to the social life of the little community. 

The cheaper and more common dwellings we find to have been gener- 
ally built of wood, with checker-work fronts, or rather gable ends, of small 
black and yellow Dutch bricks, with the date of their erection inserted in 
iron figures facing the street. The roofs were tiled or shingled, and sur- 
mounted with a weathercock. The front door was usually ornamented 
with a huge brass knocker, with the device of a dog's or lion's head, which 
was required to be burnished daily. As the facilities for obtaining build- 
ing materials increased, the huts of the very poor classes gradually assumed 
a more and more respectable appearance. The old stone tavern was re- 
modeled, cleaned up, and called a Stadthuys, or City Hall ; and there the 
city magistrates held their meetings on Mondays, from nine o'clock in the 
morning until noon, and if business was urgent they sometimes had an 
after-dinner session. Absent members were fined six stuyvers for the 
first half-hour, twelve for the second, and forty if absent during the 
meeting. 

A pew was set apart in the church for the City Fathers ; and on Sun- 
day mornings these worthies left their homes and families early to meet 
in the City Hall, from which, preceded by the bell-ringer, carrying their 
cushions of state, they inarched in solemn procession to the sanctuary in 
the fort. On all occasions of ceremony, secular or religious, they were 
treated with distinguished attention. Their position was emiuently re- 
spectable, but it had as yet no emoluments. We shall have occasion 



ALLARD ANTHONY. 161 

hereafter to show how they watched over the tender babyhood of the 
city, — a city whose infancy was dwarfed by the constant neglect of 
the parent country; which was exposed to savage hostility and over- 
looked by the world in general ; which was captured while yet in swad- 
dling-clothes by people of different language, views, and policy; whose 
youth was a combat with all kinds of untoward circumstances, but whose 
maturity has so far exceeded the promise of its earlier years, and whose 
future certainties are so much greater than those of any other city on the 
face of the earth, that we cannot pass on without extending our cordial 
fellowship to those who rocked its cradle. Their names we shall rewrite 
each time with newly awakened emotions. 

There were two burgomasters, Arent Van Hattam and Martin Cre- 
gier. The first was an intelligent Holland speculator, who traveled 
through the country and amassed a large fortune, but never married, 
or had any permanent residence in New Amsterdam that we inn 
learn. He was once sent as ambassador to Virginia. Martin Cregier 
was the captain of the citizens' military company, and went often in 
command of important expeditions into the interior. He was the pro- 
prietor of a small tavern opposite the Bowling Green, the site of which 
he purchased in U>4:'>. He was a conspicuous man in his day; and his 
descendants are among the most highly respected families in the State of 
New York. 

There were five schepens, — Paulus Van der (hist. Maximilian Van 
Gheel, Allard Anthony, Peter Van Couwenhoven, ami William Beek- 
nian. Paulus Van der Grist was a hale, hearty old sea-captain, who 
commanded one of the four ships of the fleet which conveyed Governor 
Stuyvesant to America. Either personally or through an agent, he bought 
considerable property on Manhattan Island as early as 1644, and took 
up his permanent residence in New Amsterdam, as naval agent, in L648. 
He owned a sloop with which he navigated the waters near by : 1 m ill 
himself a nice house on Broadway below Trinity Church; and opened a 
dry-goods store, keeping groceries and knick-knacks also, according to 
village custom. 

Allard Anthony was a middle-aged man, rich, influential, conceited, 
and unpopular. He was the consignee of a large firm in Holland ; 
and his store was in the old church building erected by Van Twil- 
ler. Besides his general wholesale business, he engaged in the retail 
trade; for we learn by the records that be sold a "hanger" to Jan Van 
Cleef "for as much buckwheal as Anthony's fowls will eat in six 
months." At another time we learn that his wife complained of some 
ne»Toes " for killing a few of her pigs." He had a large farm on the 



162 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

island ; but his city residence, a first-class stone mansion, was on the 
corner of Whitehall and Marketfield Streets. He had one son, Nicholas, 
who was afterwards sheriff of lister County ; and two daughters, who, 
it has been said, dressed the most showily and fashionably of all the 
ladies of New Amsterdam. Peter Couwenhoven has been noticed on a 
previous page. 

William Beekmau was the ancestor of the well-known Beekman 
family, and his name is perpetuated by two streets, William and Beek- 
man. He came from Holland in the same vessel with Stnvvesant, at 
the age of twenty-one. Full of strong, healthy life, and ambition, he 
employed every moment that he could spare from his clerkship duties 
in searching for a spot to plant his money, for he had not come empty- 
handed from abroad. An opportunity soon offered; he purchased 
Corlear's Hook of Jacob Corlear, and shortly after fell in love with and 
married the pretty blue-eyed Catharine Van Boogh Everybody thought 
it a good match, and the youthful pair were held in high esteem. In the 
course of years, he rose to distinction ; he was at one time vice-director 
of the colony on the Delaware, and at another sheriff at Esopus. He 
was nine years a burgomaster of New Amsterdam. In 1670, he bought 
the farm formerly owned by Thomas Hall, stretching along the East 
River for a great distance. His orchard lay upon a side-hill running 
down to the swamp which was called Cripple Bush, and through which 
Beekman Street now passes. He had five sons and one only daughter, 
Marie. This daughter married Nicholas William Stuyvesant, a son of 
the governor. 

The bell-ringer was a notable and useful individual. He was the 
court messenger, the grave-digger, the chorister, the reader, and some- 
times the schoolmaster. He seems also to have been a general waiter 
upon the city magistrates. He kept the great room in which they as- 
sembled in order, placed the chairs in their proper and precise positions, 
and rang the bell at the hour for coming together. It was the 
business of the sheriff to convoke and preside over this board, to 
prosecute offenders, and to execute judgments. City officials in the Fa- 
therland were invested with judicial and municipal powers ; but, as no 
specific charter had been granted to our City Fathers, their authority was 
not well defined. They heard and settled disputes between parties ; tried 
cases for the recovery of debt, for defamation of character, for breaches 
of marriage promise, for assault and theft ; and even summoned parents 
and guardians into their presence for withholding their consent to the 
marriage of their children or wards without sufficient cause. They sen- 
tenced and committed to prison, like any other court of sessions. 



THE I'll AVER OF THE CITY FATHERS. K>3 

All their meetings were opened with a solemn and impressive form of 
prayer. As we find it recorded in their minutes, we presume they designed 
it should go down to posterity ; hence we give it in full : — 

"Oh God of Gods, and Lord of Lords ! Heavenly and most merciful Father! 
Wo thank thee thai thou hast not only created us in thine image, hut that thou 

hast received us as thy children and guests when we were lust, and in addition 
to all this, it has pleased thee to place us in the government of thy people in 
this place. 

"0 Lord, our <h>d. we. thy wretched creatures, acknowledge that we are net 
worthy of this honor, and that we have neither strength nor sufficiency to dis- 
charge tlie trust committed to us without thine assistance. 

•• We beseech thee, oh fountain of all g I gifts, qualify us by thy grace, that, 

we may, with fidelity and righteousness, serve in our respective offices. To this 
end enlighten our darkened understandings, that we may be able to distinguish 
the right from the wrong, the truth from the falsehood : and that we may give 
pure and uncorrupted decisions ; having an eye upon thy word, a sure guide, 
giving to the simple, wisdom and knowledge. Let thy law be n light unto our 
feet, and a lamp to our path, so that we may never turn away from the path of 
righteousness. Deeply impress on all our minds that we are not accountable 
until man, but unto God, who seeth and beareth all things. Let all respect ol 
persons he tar removed from us. that we may award justice unto the rich and 
the poor, unto friends aid enemies alike ; to residents and to strangers according 
to the law of truth : and that not one of us may swerve therefrom. And since 
gifts do blind the eyes of the wise, and destroy the heart, therefore keep our 
hearts aright. Grant unto us, also, that we may not rashly prejudge anyone, 
without a fair hearing, lmt that we patiently hear the parties, and give them 
time and opportunity for defending themselves : in all things looking up to thee 
and to thy word for counsel and direction. 

•' ( (raciously incline our hearts, that we may exercise the power which thou hast 
given us, to the general good of the community, and to the maintainance ol thi 
church, that we may he praised ljy them that do well, and a terror to evil- 
doers. 

" Incline, also, tire hearts of the subjects unto due obedience, so that through 
their respect and obedience our burdens may be made the lighter. 

"Thou knowest, Oh Lord, that the wicked and ungodly do generally con- 
temn and transgress thine ordinances, therefore clothe us with strength, courage, 
fortitude, and promptitude, that we may, with proper earnestness and zeal, be 
steadfast unto death against all sinners and evil-doers. 

"Oh good and gracious God, command thy blessing upon all our adopted 
resolutions, that they may be rendered effectual, and redound to tin- honor of 
thy great and holy name, to the greatest good of the trusts committed to us and 
to our salvation. 



164 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

" Hear and answer us, Oh gracious God, in these our petitions and in all that 
thou seest we need, through the merits of Jesus (Jlirist thy beloved Son, in whose 
name we conclude our prayer." 

In view of the disturbances across the water, Stuyvesant, as a precau- 
tionary measure, wrote to the authorities in New England and Virginia, 
expressing friendship and good-will, and proposed that the com- 
mercial intercourse of the colonies should continue uninterrupted. 
He learned before the end of March, however, that military preparations 
were going on in New England ; but whether these were offensive 
or defensive, he could not discover. He called a joint meeting of 
the Council and the City Fathers, and they resolved that a body of citizens 
should mount guard every night at the City Hall ; also, that Fort Am- 
sterdam should be put in a proper state of defense, and that the city* 
should defray the cost. About forty of the principal men of New Amster- 
dam subscribed a loan of two thousand dollars tor the purpose. The fence 
which Kiel't had built across the island still remained, and it was de- 
cided to inclose the city by a ditch and palisades with a breastwork, on 
about the same line, and every man was required to leave his business 
and lend a helping hand. Posts twelve feet high and about seven inches 
in diameter were erected, and covered on the outside with boards ; a 
ditch, two feet wide and three deep, Mas dug upon the inside, and the 
dirt was thrown up against the fence, thus making a platform of 
sufficient height to permit the assailed to overlook the stockade. 
It was completed about the 1st of May. In the mean time, the people 
had become seriously alarmed, and had spent the 9th day of April in 
fasting and prayer throughout the province. 

War upon the Dutch colonists was actually in contemplation in New 
England. A large party were eager to take the opportunity ottered by 
the hostilities in Europe to grasp New Netherland ; but the General 
Court of Massachusetts refused to sanction such an enterprise. In the 
mean time, Captain John Underbill had grown restless, and agitated a 
revolt on Long Island. In a seditious paper addressed to the people, 
he speaks of " this great autocracy and tyranny too grievous for any good 
Englishman or brave Christian to tolerate." But his plot was dis- 
covered in time to be prevented, and he was arrested, tried, and 

1 New Ams. Bee., I. pp. In:,. 106, 107, 108, 109. The records of the first City Fathers are 
well preserved. The} have been translated into tile English language, and are both curious 
and entertaining. The minutes of the proceedings of the burgomasters and schepens in the 
earliest years of the city furnish an abundant harvest for the antiquary. The writer of this 
volume only regrets that its necessary limitations exclude so large a proportion of the inter- 
esting matter found in their pages. 



VAN DER DONCK. 165 

banished from the province. The city was full of startling rumors ; and, 
during the summer that followed, the governor was constantly involved 
in a variety of unexpected difficulties. A man of less firmness and de- 
cision of character would have signally failed in maintaining authority. 
Allard Anthony was sent to Holland as a special agent to re P" Jlm s 
resent the situation of affairs to the Amsterdam Chamber. Stuy- 
vesant, having called upon the city government for further funds 

. • i i 4.1 l July 29. 

to invest in fortification, was waited upon by the burgomasters, 

who peremptorily refused to contribute anything more, unless the Aug. 2. 

governor gave up the excise on wines and beers. 

In the summer, Van der Donck arrived from Holland. He had en- 
larged his Vertoogli by writing out a more accurate description of 
New Netherland. He had submitted it to the West India Company, who 
had not only approved of it, but recommended it to the States-General; 
and the author had received a copyright. He desired to give it a still 
broader historical character ; and he applied to the company for permission 
to examine the records at New Amsterdam. He was cordially referred 
to Stuyvesant. But the Latter gentleman suspected his motives and 
treated him with cool severity, denying him access to any papers 
whatever. Van der Donck wished also to practice law in this country. 
His ability as a lawyer was well known. The directors of the com- 
pany were disposed to grant him a license, only they said, " What will 

one great advocate do al 2 among the savages ; You will have 

nobody of your stamp to plead against you!" Van der Donck, 
when he found his journey barren of results, sailed again for 
Europe, where he published the book under the title of Beschryvinge 
van Nieuw Nederlandt. The second edition contained a map reduced 
from the large one of Visscher, and embellished with a view of New Am- 
sterdam, sketched by Augustine Heermans in 1656. 

Heermaus was a native of Bohemia, and came to New Amsterdam, 
with Van Twiller, in 1633, as an officer of the company. He had picked 
up a great fund of information, as well as an immense quantity of real 
estate; and he had a natural taste for sketching, which, however, was 
never cultivated in any considerable degree. His house stood on the 
west side of Pearl Street, covering the line of Pine. It was built of 
stone, ami surrounded by an orchard and an extensive garden. He 
removed afterwards to Maryland, where he became a Large landholder. 

Tlie governor was cheered in July by the arrival of a personage of 
importance. The company had selected Hon. Nicasius De Side, ^ 
a gentleman of the best culture the time afforded, a thorough 
statesman and an experienced lawyer, and commissioned him as first 



166 111 STORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



^^cajius te& 




councilor in their provincial government. He was a widower, with two 
attractive daughters and one son ; and he built quite an extensive house 
on the corner of Broad Street and Exchange Place, where he was in the 
habit of entertaining a small 
but very select circle of friends 
in the same elegant and court- 
ly manner to which he had 
been accustomed at the Hajme. 

T Autograph of De Sille. 

Mis eldest daughter, Anna, a 

brilliant little girl of fourteen, who afterward married Hendrick Kip, 
presided over his table, with its blue and white china and porce- 
lain, curiously ornamented with Chinese pictures. The teacups were 
very diminutive in size, according to the prevailing fashion, and the tea 
was sipped in small quantities alternately with a bite from the lump 
of loaf-sugar which was laid beside each guest's plate. De Sille brought 
to this country more silver-plate than any one had done before him, and 
took special pride in its exhibition. Governor Stuyvesaut's family, Mrs. 
Bayard, the La Montagnes, and the Kips were his most frequent visitors. 
He selected Tryntie Croegers for his second wife ; but the marriage 
proved unhappy. The parties separated in 1669; and a commission, in 
which figured such names as Van Cortlandt, De Peyster, and Van Brugh, 
was appointed to try to bring about a reconciliation. They reported that 
all affection and love were estranged on both sides, but that the husband 
was more inclined to a reunion than the wife, and they recommended an 
equal division of the property. De Sille built the first stone house in 
New Utrecht, and resided there for many years. He left a brief history 
of the settlement of that town. Laurence De Sille, his son, married the 
daughter of Martin Cregier, and was the ancestor of all of the name of 
De Sille in this country. Mrs. De Sille at her death left the whole of 
her estate, real and personal, to her cousin, Jacobus Croegers. 

Cornelis Van Ruyven was about this time appointed secretary of the 
province, and Van Brugge was employed in the custom-house. All at 
once there arose again a great spirit of disaffection among the English on 
Lung Island. How much of it was due to the consummate tact of Cap- 
tain Umlerhill we are not prepared to say, but from many of the 
towns came the bitterest denunciation of the Dutch authorities of 
New Netherlands. It finally resulted in one of the most important pop- 
ular meeting's ever held in New Amsterdam. The capital itself 

Dec. 10. 

was represented by delegates, as also Breuckeleu, Flatbush, Flat- 
lands, Gravesend, Newtown, Flushing, and Hempstead; and the men 
who assembled were earnest, thoughtful, liberty-loving citizens. The 



THE DIET IN NEW AMSTERDAM. 



167 




convention, after mutual consultation and discussion, adopted a remon- 
strance, which, in courteous phraseology, compares well with documents 
of m similar character at a later day, and which shows upon the 
face of it an intelligent appreciation of the rights, 
as well as a thorough acquaintance with the legiti- 
mate objects, of civil government. Itdemanded re- 
forms and laws such as pre- 
vailed in the Netherlands ; 
and Stuyvesant winced un- 
der the truths which were 
la id bare before his eyes. 
To weaken its ef- 
fect, he declared that 
Breuckelen, Flatlmsh. and 
Flatlands had no right to 
jurisdiction, and could not 
send delegates to a popular assembly. He talked eloquently, and was 
exhaustive in argument. The delegates prepared a reioinder, and 

Dec 13 

threatened to send their jirufrxt to the States-General and the 
West India Company, if he did not lend a considerate ear. Then nothing 
seemed to remain but the exercise of his prerogative. He commanded 
the delegation to disperse " on pain of our highest displeasure," and closed 
his message by arrogantly declaring that "we derive out authority from 
God and the company, not from a few ignorant subjects ; and we alone 
can call the inhabitants together." But the popular voice was not stilled, 
for the burgomasters and schepens wrote to tin- West India Com- 
pany, complaining that their municipal powers were "too narrow," 
and asking for such privileges as were granted to their " beloved Amster- 
dam." The Gravesend magistrates wrote to the States-General, 
presenting their grievances ; and another letter of a similar char- 
acter, signed by Martin Cregier, George Baxter, and others, was addressed 
to the burgomasters and schepens of the citv of Amsterdam. Mean- 

1 J Dec. 30. 

while the. exigencies of the times gave the disaffected community 
an excellent opportunity of demonstrating their actual loyalty to the 
Fatherland The rapid increase of piracy on the Sound, and the dreaded 
invasion of the English, made it necessary that a force of men should be 
raised in each of the towns for the common defense ; and the call was 
responded to with alacrity. 

On the 16th of December was established in England the new 
institute of government, by which Oliver Cromwell was made Lord 
Protector, and the supreme legislative authority was vested in him and 



1(58 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Parliament. For weeks, during the year past, that country had been as 
near to anarchy as any civilized nation has ever been ; but Parliament 
was now to be imperial in its character, and the Protector was to be as- 
sisted by a council of state. 

The spring was just opening, when news reached New Amsterdam 
that an armed Meet of four ships, direct from England, were in Boston 
1664. raising men for the purpose of attacking the Dutch possessions 
June, in this country. The consternation may readily be imagined. 
There was nothing talked or thought of but preparations for war. Women 
and other non-combatants, goods and valuables, were removed with ra- 
pidity beyond range of the missiles of destruction. Many of the inhab- 
itants counseled the surrender of the city without bloodshed ; but the 
stern military chieftain visited upon such advisers the full measure of 
his contempt. 

Just as the British force, numbering nine hundred foot and a troop of 

horse, were victualed and about setting out for New Amsterdam, peace 

was proclaimed between England and Holland. 1 ('rum well had 

' stipulated his own terms with the United Provinces ; but his 

foreign policy was bold and manly, and, if he had robbed England of her 

liberty, he at least gave her glory in exchange. The nation which for 

half a century had been of scarcely more weight than Venice in European 

politics, suddenly became the most formidable power in the world, 

July 18 ' and her ruler an object of mingled aversion, admiration, and dread. 

Nowhere was the news received with such abandonment of delight as in 

New Amsterdam. Bells rung and cannon 1 loomed, and a day was set 

apart by the governor for general thanksgiving. 

1 Three hundred of these troops were from Massachusetts, two hundred from Connecticut, 
one hundred and thirty-three from New Haven, ami two hundred from the fleet. 




SALARIES. 169 



CHAPTER XI 



SALARIES. 

City Taxation. — The Swedes. — The Long Island Ferry. —Thomas Pell. — Lady 
Moody's Library. — The Gay Repast. — First City Seal. — Christmas. — New 
Year's. — The City Hall. — TheFirstChi i:< ii on Long Island. — Dominie Polhe- 
mus. — The Expedition against the Swedes. — The Indian Horror. — Van Tien- 
hoven's Downfall. — The Lutheran Persecution. — City Progress. — Dominie 
Drisius. — Burgher Rights. — Unique Laws. — The Quaker Persecution.— 
Hodgson at the Wheelbarrow. — Stuyvesant's Interview with the Indian 
Chiefs. — " Whitehall." — Stuyvesant's ( Ioun toy-Seat. — Indian Hostilities. — 
Oliver Cromwell's Death. 

THE burgomasters and schepens, even before their first year of service 
bad expired, found their duties so arduous, and involving so much 
time and trouble, that they petitioned for salaries. Stuyvesant, 
after mature deliberation, granted to each burgomaster one hundred 
and forty dollars, anil to each schepen one hundred dollars, per annum. 
They sent in, at the same time, a double set of names from which he 
might choose officers for the coming year. He, however, retained the 
same men in office, except that he filled two vacancies in the board of 
schepens by the appointment of Oloff Stevensen Van Cortlandt and 
Jochem Pietersen Kuyter. The latter had been successful in the vindica- 
tion of his character, and was now in possession of his estate in Harlem, 
and restored to all the rights and privileges of a feudal lord. He lived in 
a house on the north side of Pearl Street, between Broad Street and Han- 
over Square. He was commissioned by the Amsterdam Chamber as city 
sheriff, it having been found necessary, through the rapid increase of busi- 
ness, to separate the office from that of the province ; but, unfortunately, 
before the commission reached New Amsterdam, he had been murdered 
by the Indians, while on a tour of exploration through the wilderness to 
the North. The appointment was transferred to Jacques Cortelyou, an 
educated Frenchman, who was acting as tutor to the sons of Hon. Cor- 
nells Van Werckhoven. He declined to accept it, because of the peculiar 



170 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

nature of the instructions, and it was four years before the city was 
favored with a sheriff of its own. 

There was, from the first, a want of harmony between the governor and 
the city magistrates. The latter wished to assimilate their municipal 
government to that of Amsterdam. They never ceased their exertions 
until they deprived the executive of the absolute power of appointment. 
They clamored, too, for the management and control of the excise. It 
seemed eminently proper that this should go into the city treasury, and 
Stuyvesant finally consented to the arrangement. But he immediately 
ordered that the city should provide for the supjiort of the troops which 
had recently arrived from Holland, and for the maintenance of civil 
and ecclesiastical ministers. The magistrates replied, expressing their 
willingness to furnish their quota to the amount of one fifth of the whole 
.sum necessary to pay the debt incurred for the repairs of the public works, 
on condition that they should be empowered to levy taxes on all the real 
estate within their jurisdiction, sell and convey lands, etc. ; they would 
also pay the salary of one clergyman, one chorister (to act as beadle and 
schoolmaster), one sheriff, two burgomasters, five schepens, one secretary, 
and one court messenger ; but as to the military, they considered the 
citizens already overtaxed for the fortifications, and unable to carry a 
burden which was not for the protection of the city alone, but for the 
country in general. 

When the magistrates rendered their first report of excise income ami 
expenditures, Stuyvesant was greatly displeased to find that the minister's 
salary had not been paid. As he went on with the examination of the 
papers, he discovered that they had credited themselves with 
' many items which could not be allowed ; as, for instance, the pas- 
sage-money of Francois de Bleue, their agent, to Amsterdam. They had 
nut fulfilled their promise to complete the fort; money borrowed for the 
purpose had been otherwise used ; and the men who had advanced the 
loan were clamoring for repayment. They had not furnished the subsidies 
which they had promised, and they had failed to contribute their quota 
towards the public works. He took them severely to task, and by the 
advice of his council he reassumed the control of the excise which he had 
already surrendered. The subject was submitted to the Amster- 
dam Chamber, which instructed the governor to enforce his author- 
ity, "so that those men may no longer indulge in the visionary dream 
that contributions cannot be levied without their consent." 

Meanwhile, difficulties had been brewing on the South River. The 
news of the capture of Fort Casimir by the Swedes reached Stuyvesant 
while he was in the midst of his hurried preparations to defend New 



THE SWEDES. 171 

Netherland from the English. To attempt the recovery of that distant 
post in. a moment of such danger was out of the question, and therefore an 
account of the affair was sent to Holland, and orders thence were 

Sept 22. 

awaited. In September, a Swedish vessel entered the lower bay by 
mistake, and sent to New Amsterdam for a pilot to guide her back into 
the ocean. Stuyvesant at once ordered the arrest of the boat's clew, and 
sent soldiers to capture the vessel and bring its captain to the tort. The 
cargo was removed to the company's warehouse, and a message sent to the 
Swedish commander of Fort Casimir that the vessel would lie detained 
until such time as "a reciprocal restitution should be made." 

The city magistrates, about the same time, demanded and obtained the 
power to lease the ferry between Manhattan and Long Island, which some- 
what mollified their antagonism to their stern superior. Up to this period 
great inconvenience had been experienced by the community in crossing 
the East River. Persons had often been compelled to wait a whole day 
before they could be ferried over ; and the trip was dangerous at its best 
An ordinance was accordingly passed, as follows : — 

" No one shall be permitted to ferry without a license from the magis- 
trates : the ferryman must keep proper servants and boats, and a house 
on both sides of the river for the accommodation of passengers, and must 
pass all officials free. The said ferryman shall not he compelled to ferry 
any persons, cattle, or goods, without prepayment, and must not cross the 
river in a tempest." 1 

The toll established bylaw was, for a wagon and two horses, twenty 
stuyvers, or one dollar; for a wagon and one horse, eighty cents ; for an 
Indian, thirty cents ; for any other person, fifteen cents. 

Early in November, news reached the harassed governor that Thomas 
Pell, an English gentleman and a rank royalist (formerly Gentle- 
man of the Bedchamber to Charles I.), who had been obliged to 
leave New Haven because he refused to swear allegiance to the local 
government, on the ground that he had already taken an oath in England, 
had bought of the Indian sachem, Annhook, a tract of land in West- 
chester, including the estate formerly owned and occupied by Mrs. Annie 
Hutchinson. 2 Stuyvesant immediately dispatched a marshal to warn the 
intruder that the same land had long ago been bought of the Indians, 
and paid for, by other parties, and to forbid the transaction altogether. 
Pell took no notice of the message, but went on improving his newly 

1 -V. ir Amsterdam Records. 

■ It is supposed that the red chieftain, Annhook, was tin- "in- most concerned in the mur- 
der of .Mis. Hutchinson, as it was an Indian custom for a warrior to assume the name of some 
distinguished victim of his prowess. 



172 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

acquired possessions. Thirty-five years later, the acting governor of New 
York himself purchased the township of New Eochelle of Mr. Pell. From 
the latter the town of Pelham derived its name ; the word being of Saxon 
origin, compounded of the two words, Pell and ham. {Ham signifies 
home, or house) 

During the same month, the governor himself was severely repri- 
manded by the Amsterdam Chamber. The following paragraph 
' is a key to the document which he received : — 

" You ought to act with more vigor, and dare to punish refractory sub- 
jects as they deserve." 

Opportunities for the display of courage were certainly not wanting. 
At that very moment, some of the English settlers on Long Island were 
struggling to free themselves from the dominion of the Dutch. The con- 
duct of George Baxter, the former English secretary, and of Mr. Hubbard, 
of Gravesend, was such that Stuyvesant removed them from the magis- 
tracy. Immediately after, he visited the settlement in person, hoping to- 
allay in some measure the acute discontent which prevailed; and to 
regulate the future choice of magistrates. He was, for several days, the 
guest of Lady Moody ; and Mrs. Stuyvesant, who accompanied her hus- 
band, was greatly charmed with the noble English lady. The house of 
the latter in Gravesend, though primitive in outward construction, was 
furnished with comparative elegance and good taste, and contained the 
largest collection of books which had yet been brought into the colony. 
It was fortified against the Indians, and, in the course of its curious his- 
tory, sustained several serious attacks. 

As the winter advanced, Stuyvesant determined to make a voyage to 
the West Indies, for the purpose of establishing a commerce be- 
tween the Spanish plantations and New Netherland. He was to 
sail, on Christmas eve, in the Abraham's Sacrifice, and the city magis- 
trates were impelled to call a special meeting of the Common Council 
and pass the following significant resolution : — 

" Whereas, The Eight Honorable Peter Stuyvesant, intending to depart, 

the burgomasters and schepens shall compliment him before he 

' takes his gallant voyage, and shall for this purpose provide a 

gay repast, on Wednesday next, in the Council Chamber of the City 

Hall." » 

The list of edibles which was furnished to the committee of arrange- 
ments was a long one, and the dinner was a feast indeed. This courtesy 
to the chief magistrate was productive of sincere good-feeling. Wit and 
humor for once took the place of dignified austerity. The governor was 

1 Nciv Amsterdam Records. 



FIRST CITY SEAL. 



173 




First Seal of Ne 



genial, even to familiarity. Before the party separated, he presented to 
the city a long-desired seal, which consisted 
of the arms of Old Amsterdam, — three 
crosses saltier, — with a beaver for a crest. 
On the mantle above were the initial let- 
ters C. W. C. for " Chartered West India 
Company," for to that corporation the island 
of Manhattan especially belonged. Under- 
neath was the legend " SlGILLUM AMSTELLO- 
DAMENSIS ix Novo Belgio," and around the 
border was a wreath of laurel. * 

The administration of affairs during Stuy- 
vesant's absence was committed to Vice-( roverni ir 1 )e Sille and the o nmcil. 

The Dutch held national festivals in high esteem. At a meet- 
ing of the Common Council, on Monday, December 14, the fol- 
lowing was placed on record : — 

"As the winter and the holidays are at hand, there shall be no more 
ordinary meetings of this board between this date and three weeks after 
Christmas. The court messenger is ordered not to summon any person 
in the mean time." 2 

Christmas was, at that period, observed as a religious, domestic, and 
merry-making festival throughout England and Holland, as well as in 
some other European countries. The Dutch often called it the " children's 
festival." The evening was devoted to the giving of presents, and " Christ- 
mas trees" were everywhere in vogue. The custom originated in the 
Protestant districts of Germany and Northern Europe. Saint Nicholas, 
whose image presided as the figure-head of the first emigrant ship which 
touched Manhattan Island, and for whom the first church had been named, 
was esteemed the patron saint of New Amsterdam. The hero of the 
childish legend of Santa Claus — the fat, rosy-cheeked, little old man 
with a pipe in his mouth, driving a reindeer sleigh over the roofs of 
houses — - is no modern creation of fancy. His expected coming created 
the same feverish excitement, the same pleasurable expectancy, the same 
timorous speculations, among sleepy little watchers centuries ago as 
among the children of New York to-day. 

"New Year's " was observed by the interchange of visits. Cake, wine. 
and punch were offered to guests. It was one of the most impor- i6g5 
tant social observances of the year, and was conducted with much 
ceremony. Gifts, on that day, particularly in families and among intimate 



1 Brodlicad, I. 59 
- .V. w Ainslerdan 



. VaX Man, 184S. 384. 
Records, II. 76, 77-81, 



174 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

friends, were by no means unusual. The custom of New- Year's visits, 
which had been handed down from remote ages, prevails at the present 
time in nearly all the large cities of the world. 

The winter wore away quietly. The vice-governor was seriously em- 
barrassed, through the constant uneasiness and the threats of the English 
colonists, and longed for Stuyvesant's return ; but nothing of any impor- 
tance occurred. In February, the city took its first step in the 
direction of police regulations. Dirck Van Schelluyne, the lawyer, 
was appointed high constable, and furnished with detailed instructions as 
to his duties. As the spring opened, the city magistrates obtained control 
of the City Hall for the first time, and ordered it "to be emptied 

March 1 

' c if the vast quantity of salt and other trumpery with which it was 
encumbered ; its lodgers were also cleared out." They then proceeded to 
put it in better repair; and it became a very respectable-looking edifice. 1 
It faced the East River, but was so closely hemmed in by other buildings 
that a good view of it was difficult to obtain. The Council Chamber was 
in the southeast corner of the second story. The prison was a small 
room on the first floor in the rear. Upon the roof was a handsome cupola, 
in which hung a bell. In the year 1699, the building gave place to a 
new City Hall in Wall Street, at the head of Broad, and was sold for one 
hundred and ten pounds sterling. Its stones, which were very finely cut, 
may even now be traced in the foundations of some of the stores in that 
vicinity. 

It was found necessary to protect the shore in front of the City Hall 
against high tides. Prior to this date, a stone-wall had been constructed 
and the street filled in; but the water washed between the crevices, and 
it was resolved to drive planks into the shore and make a uniform 
" sheet pile " extending the whole distance between Broad Street and the 
City Hall, for the expenses of which all the lot-owners were taxed. The 
public school was removed, in May, from the little room in the City Hall 
to a small building on Pearl Street which had been rented for the purpose, 
and William Verstius was employed as teacher. 

For many years, the people of Long Island used to cross to Manhattan 
on the Sabbath, to attend public worship, except when some clerical 
traveler preached in a private house. They had sent several petitions to 
the government for the establishment of a church, which was accom- 
plished at Midwout (Flatbush) in 1654. Stuyvesant appointed Dominie 
Megapolensis, John Snedicor, and John Stryker to superintend the erec- 
tion of a church edifice, which was to be built in the form of a cross, 
twenty-eight feet wide and sixty feet long, and twelve to fourteen be- 

i See sketch of City Hall on page 106. 



DOMINIE POLIIEMUS. 175 

tween the beams. The rear of it was to be used as a minister's dwelling. 
The construction of this first house of worship in Kings County occupied 
several years, although it was sufficiently advanced in the summer of 
1655 to allow of its being opened for church services. 

Dominie Johannes Theodoras Polhenms was installed pastor over this 
church. He had just arrived in New Netherland from Brazil, where he 
luul been laboring as a missionary. He had sprung from an ancient and 
highly respectable Holland stock, and was a gentleman of fair education 
and moderate ability. In 1656, he was joined by his wife and family. 
He had two sons, Theodore and Daniel, from whom have descended all 
of the name in this country. In order to accommodate the people scattered 
here and there over the wild region between Breuckelen and Gravesend, 
it was arranged that there should he preaching in Flatbusk on Sunday 
mornings, and alternately in Breuckelen and Flatlands on Sunday after- 
noons. It was not long before Breuckelen began to grow mutinous. 
'I'lie minister's tax was a serious bugbear. 1 The Sunday service was 
pronounced "poor anil meager." The people said " they were getting 
only a prayer iu lieu of a sermon, so short that when they supposed il 
just beginning it came to an end," — in other words, they were not getting 
the worth of their money, — and they asked to be relieved from supporting 
such an unsatisfactory gospel. The governor replied by sending a sheriff 
to collect their dues. He reproved them sharply tor attempting thus to 
shirk the fulfillment of their promises; and he reminded them that the 
good minister was in absolute suffering for the want of his salary. — his 
house being unfinished, and himself, wife, and children obliged to sleep on 
the Hour. 

In the month of July, Stuyvesant returned from the West Indies. 
He had been wholly defeated in the object of his voyage, through 
Cromwell's peculiar policy, 2 and he was weary, sick, and disap- 
pointed. He found orders awaiting him from Holland to proceed againsl 
the audacious Swedes at Fort Casimir, and to drive them from every 
point on the South River. A scpiadron of armed vessels for his use had 
already arrived. The city fathers had fitted up another large vessel, t.<. 
swell the force. Volunteers were enlisted from both town and country. 
During the month of August, the little city was alive with warlike prep- 
arations. Three North River vessels were chartered, pilots were engaged, 

1 New York Col. MSS.. VIII. 406. Stilus's History oj Brooklyn, 1. 130-134. 

- Cromwell had issued orders, during 1(554, I'm- tin- management and government "I the 
West Indies ; and the. commissioners, on their arrival, laid an embargo on all tin- Dutch sliijis 
in these islands, eight of which were seized a1 Barhadoes alone. Three of tin- same were un- 
der the command of Governor Stuyvesant. O'Callaghan, 11. 285, 



17b' HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

and provisions ami ammunition laid in store. The 25th of August was ob- 
served as a day of lasting and prayer for the success of the under- 
' taking. On the first Sunday in September, after the close of the 
morning sermon in the fort, the seven vessels, manned by seven hundred 
men, sailed out of the harbor. They were commanded by Governor 
Stuyvesant in person, who was accompanied by Vice-Governor De Sille, 
and Dominie Megapolensis, as chaplain of the expedition. 

In a few days, they entered the Delaware Eiver, passed Fort Casinhr, 
and landed about a mile above. A flag of truce was sent to the fort, 
demanding its surrender, which, after some parleying, was acceded to 
without resistance. The Swedish commander went on board Stuyvesaut's 
vessel and signed a capitulation The Swedes were allowed to remove 
their artillery ; twelve men were to march out with full arms and accou- 
terments ; all the rest retained their side-arms, and the officers held their 
personal property. At noon, on the 25th of September, the Dutch, 
' with sounding bugles and flying banners, took possession of the 
fort. Such of the Swedes as chose were allowed to take the oath of 
allegiance to the New Netherland government and remain in the country. 
The next day was Sunday, and Dominie Megapolensis preached to the 
troops. Towards evening, a report was brought to the governor that the 
Swedish commander, Rising, had re-assembled his forces at Fort Christina, 
two miles farther up the river, and was actively strengthening his posi- 
tion there. 

The Swedes had an undisputed right to the land about Fort Christina, 1 
having made the purchase many years before with the tacit consent 
of the company. They had been cultivating gardens and tobacco, and 
were making fair progress in the erection of dwellings. There were 
about two hundred independent settlers. Stuyvesant moved his fleet to 
the mouth of the Braudywine Eiver, where he anchored, invested Fort 
Christina on all sides, and demanded a surrender. Resistance was hope- 
less. Articles of capitulation were quickly signed, and thus came to an 
end the Swedish dominions on the Delaware. 

Meanwhile, a terrible calamity befell New Netherland. A few days 
after the governor and military had departed from the peaceful 
ep ' 'little city on Manhattan Island, Ex-Sheriff Van Dyek shot an 
Indian woman who was stealing peaches from his orchard, on the west 
side of Broadway, below Trinity Church. For ten years the savages had 
been friendly, and the minds of the people were lulled into a state of 
security in regard to them. But the woman's tribe were inflamed by the 

1 Fort I liristina was about thirty-five miles below the present site of Philadelphia, on a 
small stream called < 'hristina Creek. 



THE IS hi AX HORROR. 177 

muider, and they determined upon revenge. They knew of the absence 
of the greater part of the male population of New Amsterdam, and 
availed themselves of the opportunity. About two thousand armed war- 
riors, in sixty-four canoes, suddenly appeared before the city. It was in 
the early morning, just as daylight was breaking in the cast. They landed 
stealthily, and scattered themselves through the streets, breaking into 
several houses, under pretense of searching for Indians from the North. 
The people were stricken with mortal terror. The city officers sprang 
from their beds, as did also the members of the governor's council, and 
after a hurried conference, went bravely among the Indians and asked 
to see their sachems. The latter came to the fort, where they were 
received and treated in the kindest manner. They finally promised to 
take their warriors out of the city, and proceeded, after much delay, to 
their canoes. They crossed over to Xutteu Island, but soon after dark 
they returned, and ran up Broadway to the house of Van Dyck, whom 
they killed. Paulus Van der Grist, who lived next door, stepped out, 
hoping to quiet the savages, but was struck down with an ax. The city 
was in arms at once, and the citizens, with the aid of the burgher-guard, 
drove the vindictive enemy to their canoes. 

But this effected only a change in the scene of carnage. The. 
Indians hurried to Pavonia and Hoboken, and massacred every man, 
woman, and child they could find. From there they went to Staten 
Island, where were eleven flourishing plantations, with about ninety 
settlers, and laid waste the entire land. Thence they carried their devas- 
tations into other parts of New Jersey. In three days, one hundred had 
Keen murdered and as many more carried into captivity: twenty-eight 
plantations had been wholly destroyed, and property had been lost to the 
amount of eighty thousand dollars ! 

The whole country was struck with honor and fear. The farmers tied 
with their families to the fort for protection. The English villages on 
Long Island were threatened, and Lady Moody's house at Gravesend was 
twice attacked. Prowling bands of savages flitted in and out of the 

\\ Is on the northern part of Manhattan Island. Mrs. Stuyvesant and 

her children were at their country-place, in the neighborhood of 1 3th 
Street ; and as the citizens were so few in number that it was difficult to 
spare a guard for her protection, ten resolute Frenchmen were hired for 
that duty. 

As soon as possible, a message was sent to the absent governor, who 

hastened home, bringint; jov and confidence to the distressed rum- 

" ■ ■' • . Oct. 12. 

munity. His policy with regard to the Indians was to give no new 

provocation, and to exchange fire-arms for prisoners. He succeeded, 

1-2 



178 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

after a short time, in inducing the red-men to sue for peace, and then he 
promptly concluded a treaty with them. 

About this time, one great source of misfortune to the province was 
removed. Van Tienhoven, who had gradually been falling into almost 
every known vice, was believed to have given serious cause — through 
imprudence when intoxicated — for the late terrible tragedies. Every 
honest heart and every honest face was turned against him. Having 
been suddenly detected in the perpetration of gross frauds upon the 
revenue, he was arrested. Stuyvesant clung to him to the last. He 
tried to palliate his misconduct, evidently blinded to the extraordinary 
profligacy and corruption which had ruined the miserable sheriff, body 
and smd. Before the, time arrived for submitting his defense, Van Tien- 
hoven absconded, leaving his hat and cane floating on the river, to convey 
the idea of suicide. His wife begged that his property and papers 
might not be seized, and the execution was stayed. His brother Adriaen, 
the receiver-general, disappeared at the same time, and was subsequently 
recognized in the English service at Barbadoes, in the capacity of cook. 

In the midst of these excitements, a few Lutherans attempted to hold 
religious meetings. Stuyvesant, with all his Christian virtues, was re- 
ligiously intolerant. He issued a proclamation, forbidding the people to 
assemble for any religious service not in harmony with the Reformed 
Church. This penal law, the first against freedom of conscience 

1656. « • 

which disgraced the statute-book of New York, was rigorously en- 
forced. Stuyvesant claimed that its purpose was "to promote the glory 
of God, and the peace and harmony of the country." Any minister who 
should violate it was to be fined one hundred pounds. Any person who 
shoidd attend such a meeting was to be fined twenty-five pounds. Com- 
plaints were sent to Holland, and the company rebuked the governor for 
his bigotry. The directors wrote : — 

" We would fain not have seen your worship's hand set to the placard 
against the Lutherans, nor have heard that you oppressed them with the 
imprisonments of which they have complained to us. It has always been 
our intention to let them enjoy all calmness and tranquillity. Wherefore 
you will not hereafter publish any similar placards without our previous 
consent, but allow all the free exercise of their religion in their own 
houses." 

The Lutherans in Holland soon after sent a clergyman, the Rev. Er- 
nestus Goetwater, to New Amsterdam, to organize a church. It was with 
the consent of the company, and the movement was thought very noble 
and tolerant in those dark days of the seventeenth century. There was, 
however, in the instructions sent to the governor a qualification which lie 



THE LUTHER AX PERSECUTION. 179 

interpreted according to bis own arbitral") views. Then- should be no 

tviuriitir/i^. 'I'lir clergy of the Reformed Church in New Amsterdam re- 
monstrated against permitting the Lutheran minister " to do any clerical 
service whatever." They said it would encourage "heresy ami schism,'' 
ami that the established religion " was the only lawful, being commanded 
by the Word of < rod." Stuyvesant finally ordered Goetwater to leave the 
colony ami return to Holland. 1 He even went so far as to compel parents 
of Lutheran principles to assist at the baptism of their children in the 
Reformed Church. If they refused, they were imprisoned ami fined. The 
law applied equally to all denominations. There were a few Baptists in 
Flushing. They met in the house of one of the magistrates of the town, 
and a man without license preached, administered the sacrament, and 
baptized several persons in the river. He was arrested, tined one thousand 
pounds, and banished from the province. Tin.' magistrate was removed 
from office, as a penalty for allowing the meeting to be held in his house. 

The city fathers wen.' unceasingly industrious. They enacted laws 
and ordinances with as much grace as their ruler assumed sovereignty. 
They condemned all"flag roofs, wooden chimneys, hay-stacks, hen-houses, 
aud hog-pens," which were located on the principal streets. They ordered 
owners of gardens to either sell or improve them. The penalty for refu- 
sal was taxation. They compelled buyers of city lots by the terms of 
purchase to build upon them without delay, 'flu- average juice of the 
best city lots had reached fifty dollars. Houses rented at from fourteen 
to one hundred dollars per annum. They surveyed and established the 
streets, seventeen in number. This occurred in July. 2 The next 
year, they began to pave. The first street honored with paving- 
stones was De Hoogh, — what is now Stone Street, between Broad and 
Whitehall, [n 1658, De Brugh or Bridge Street, so called from a bridge 
which had been built across the ditch at Broad Street, was improved in 
like manner. Within the next two years, all the streets most used were 
paved. These pavements were of cobble-stones, with the gutters in the 
middle of the street. Sidewalks were not as vet contemplated. 

The census of the city was taken in 1656. The inhabitants were found 
to number one thousand, of which a large proportion were negro slaves. 
The adjoining cut is a copy of Augustine Heerman's sketch of New York 
in 1656, which was widely copied and circulated in Europe. 

1 This harsh decree was suspended, out of regard to tin- feeble health of Rev. Mr. Goetwater. 

2 The names of the streets were: Tc Marekvelt, Hi- Beere Stii.it, De Waal, Tc W iter, 
De Perel Straat, Aghter De Perel Straat, De Browner Straat, De Winckel Straat, De Bevel 
Graft, Te Marekvelt Steegie, De Smee Straat. De Smits Valley, De Hoogh Straat, De Brugh 
Straat, De Heere Graft, De Prince Graft, De Prince Straat 



180 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



There was, on the line of Moore Street, one small wharf running out from 
Pearl, but extending a little farther into the stream than low-water mark. 
Ships usually moored in the East River, and sent their cargoes ashore in 
scows, which were compelled to come up to the head of the pier. The 
increase of the shipping rendered it desirable that this wharf should be 
elongated about fifty feet, and it was accordingly done. A market-stand 
for country wagons was established, the same year, on an uninclosed 
space near the Bowling Green. Allan! Anthony opposed the measure in 
the board of schepens, because the selected site was in front of his own 
house, and his wife and daughters would object. But he was overruled 




View of New York. 1656. 



by the majority. Three years later a yearly fair for the sale of cattle was 
instituted, and the exchange for buyers and sellers was located beside this 
market-stand. The cattle were fastened to posts, driven for the purpose, 
on the west side of Broadway, in front of the graveyard. 1 The fair com- 
menced October 20, and closed late in November. It brought strangers 
to the city from all parts of the country, even from New England, and 
threw business constantly in the way of the merchants. This fair existed 
fur more than sixty years. 

Dominie Drisius lived in a pretty cottage on the north side of Pearl 
Street, below Broad, — the lot was twenty feet front, extending through 
to Bridge Street. He exerted a healthful influence over the church, and 
also took an active interest in political affairs. In 1653, he was sent as 
ambassador to Virginia, and concluded an important commercial treaty 
with Governor Bennet, including the concession to New Netherland 



1 The first burial-ground in New York was on the west side of Broadway, near Morris 
Street. .lust north of it was the large stone house of Paulus Van der Grist, before mentioned 
(pp. 161, 177). The orchards and gardens of the latter were highly cultivated, anil extended 
to the very edge of the North River. Some years later this fine property was owned and 
occupied by Hon. Francis Rombouts. 



BURGHER RIGHTS. 181 

merchants of the power to collect debts due them in Virginia. 1 When 
the dominie first arrived in New York, he was a middle-aged widower. 
He subsequently married Lysbeth (Elizabeth), the widow of [saac Ore 
¥taract. She held a large property in her own right, and is often mentioned 
upon the tax-lists as " Mother Drisius." Dominie Megapolensis owned a 
small, comfortable house in the vicinity of Beaver Street. The must 
pretentious house in the city had recently been built by Pieter Cornelisen 
Vanderveeu, a rich merchant, who was described as "old ami suitable" 
for a great burgher. He was for a time one of the schepens, and he hail 
held many offices of trust in the church and community. He married, 
in 1652, Elsie Loockermans, who, after his death, became the wife of Jacob 
Leisler. Pearl Street was the favorite Ideality for building, and was well 
lined with dwellings. 2 < hi Bridge Street lived Hendrick Kip. His house 
was small, but his lot was ninety feet front and seventy deep. His nearest 
neighbor, Abraham Verplanck, 3 the ancestor of the Verplanck family of 
New York, was one of the oldest citizens; he also owned a farm near 
Fulton Street, Thomas Hall lived on a hill in the vicinity of Peek Slip. 

On the site of Trinity Church and churchyard there was a fine gar- 
den belonging to the company, between which and the Van der Grist 
estate on the smith. Governor Stuyvesant granted to each of his two 
sons, Nicholas William ami Balthazar, a hit containing ninety-three feet 
front and two hundred and forty-eight feet deep, to the North River 
shore. 

Tin- effort to sustain a good public school appears mi nearly every page 
of the records. As tin/ children increased in numbers, a larger building 
than the one on Pearl Street was procured. William Verstius was suc- 
ceeded a< teacher l>y Harmen Van Ho'ooken, who was also a famous singer 
and acted as church chorister. Five years afterward, he was superseded 
li\ Evert I'ietersen, because of alleged inattention to Ids pupils. The 
salary was then fourteen and one half dollars per month, with a margin 
of fifty dollars per annum for board. 

About this time, the system of great and small "burgher rights " was 
introduced into the city. Metropolitan immunities were constantly in- 
fringed by peddlers, who sold goods and departed with the proceeds 
Stuyvesant's new law required every man to open a store within the city 
limits and pay a fee of eight dollars before commencing trade. In tins 
way he obtained the small burgher right. All natives of the city, resi- 
dents of a year and a hall, salaried officers of the company, and husbands 

1 Albany Records, IX. 59. 

- There were "ii Pearl Street forty-three houses and a few shops. 
8 Abraham Verplanck had two sons, Gulian and Isaac. 



182 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

of the daughters of burghers, were entitled to the same privilege. The 
great burghers comprised burgomasters, schepens, governors, councilors, 
clergymen, military officers, and all their male descendants. The city 
officers were, from that time forth, to be chosen from this class. They 
were to be exempt for one and a half years from watches, expeditions, 
and arrests by inferior courts. The great burgher right could be secured 
by the payment of twenty dollars ; but not many were disposed to buy a 
right which all disregarded. The system proved a failure in New Am- 
sterdam as it had done in old Amsterdam, where it originated. 

Some of the laws of that period were strikingly unique. It was ex- 
pressly enjoined upon women that they should not scold. The penalty 
for this fault was arrest, imprisonment, and fine. In aggravated cases, the 
grave law-givers resorted even to public whipping. 

One Wolfert Weber, the proprietor of a small tavern near the Fresh 
Water Pond, entered this curious complaint against Judith Verbeth : — 

" The defendant has for a long time pestered him ; she came with her 
sister Sara over to his house last week, and beat him [the plaintiff] and 
afterwards threw stones at him. He pleads that said Judith be ordered 
to let him live cpiietly in his own house." 

On the 8th of May, 1657, we find Nicholas Verbeth complain- 
ing of Wolfert Weber about a pile of stone. Verbeth stated his 
case thus : — 

" If anybody removes what belongs to another without his knowledge, 
it is thieving ; my father deposited some stone by the Fresh Water Pond, 
before his own door, and Weber removed it ; whereupon we had words, 
and Weber promised to deliver other stone instead ; we want Weber 
ordered to bring back to the place the same stone," The court decided for 
the plaintiff, and ordered the stone returned within eight days. 

Hon. Nicasius De Sille prosecuted a man for stealing " three half- 
beavers, two nose-cloths, and a pair of linen stockings." The court sen- 
tenced the offender to be whipped within the Council Chamber and 
banished from the city. Slander was esteemed a rank offense. A certain 
Jan Adamzen, for slandering certain respectable persons, was condemned 
to be "stuck through the tongue with a red-hot iron, and banished from 
the province." 

The severity of sentences, the peculiar modes of punishment, etc., were 
but a feature of the times. They originated on the other side of the ocean. 
The city magistrates seem to have had a conscientious regard for equity 
and justice, and set themselves like flint against Sabbath-breaking, 
drunkenness, and all the popular vices. It was a mixed population they 
were trying to control, and the task could have been neither easy nor 



UNIQUE LAWS. L83 

agreeable. The governor treated Lis subordinates with profound respect, 
so loni; as they were directly iu the line of their duties. In his commu- 
nications to the city magistrates he was exceptionally courteous, always 
preceding his signature with "Your High Mightinesses' affectionate 
Friend and Director." But he curtailed their power in all directions. 
One day, some common people appeared before him, much aggrieved 
because he had forbidden the servants of the farmers "to ride the goose" 
at the least of Shrovetide. He told them " it was unprofitable and unne- 
cessary and criminal to celebrate such pagan and popish feasts, and though 
it was tolerated in some places in Holland, and connived at by magis- 
trates here, he should enact such ordinances as would tend to the glory 
of God without the consent of" little court of justice " ; adding, " I under- 
stand my quality and authority, and the nature of my commission, better 
than others, and hope you will not vex and trouble me continually." ' 

In 1658, a law was enacted forbidding the whipping of negro slaves 
without Brst obtaining permission of the city magistrates. Anoth- 
er remarkable law forbade men and women to live together until 
legally married ; for it had been an ancient custom — of much longer 
standing than the young city — to "bundle " after the publication of the 
banns. 

The same year, the first tile companj was organized. It was called the 
"Rattle Watch," and consisted of eight men, who were to do duty from 
nine o'clock in the evening until morning drum-beat. Two hundred and 
fifty lire-buckets, with hooks and ladders, were imported from Holland, 
reaching New Amsterdam on the L2th of August. 

Long Island was one continual source of anxiety to the men in power 
at New Amsterdam. George Baxter returned from New England the 
next year after he was dismissed from the magistracy at Gravesend he 
crossed Lone' Island Sound on the ice), and was arrested in the course 
of a few days for hoisting the flag of England ami "reading seditious 
papers to the people." For more than a year, he lay in the dungeon of 
the tbrt. He was almost forgotten, when Sir Henry Moody and others 
petitioned so earnestly to have him removed to a more- comfortable 
apartment, that he was released on bail. He immediately drew up a 
petition to Cromwell to be emancipated limn Dutch rule and taken under 
his protection ; and, after obtaining a large number of signers, he left the 
country. He soon after appeared in England, and was active in trying to 
vindicate the right of that nation to the entire territory of New Nether- 
land. He was the mortal enemy of Stuyvesant, both at home and abroad. 
Cromwell's secretary wrote to the English residents of Long Island a long 
1 -V> ■«■ Amsterdam Records. 



184 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

letter, which Baxter sent to Gravesend by one of his emissaries, with in- 
structions to have it publicly read. Stuyvesant seized the man and the 
document. The former he imprisoned; the latter he forwarded to Hol- 
land, unopened. It seemed particularly necessary to crush every symp- 
tom of ^hellion on Loug Island, as it was a noted resort for robbers and 
pirates. " The scum of New England is all drifting into New Nether- 
land," said the venerable Dominie Megapolensis. "Why do you harbor 
persons who are driven from the other colonies as worse than a pestilence ? " 
asked Dominie Drisius of the governor. 

Just at this critical moment, a ship arrived, bringing some Quakers 
who had been expelled from New Eugland. Of these, two women, with 
more zeal than discretion, went preaching through the streets. They were 
arrested, and taken to the prison in the fort, where they were confined in 
separate apartments. After being examined, they were placed on board 
a ship bound for Ehode Island. Eobert Hodgson, one of the Quakers, 
went over to Hempstead, intending to preach there. He was arrested while 
walking in an orchard, and examined by the Hempstead magistrates. 
A message was sent to the governor, who dispatched an armed party for 
the poor man, the same evening. His Bible and papers were taken from 
him, and he was pinioned in a painful position for twenty-four In mis. 
Two women who had entertained him, one of whom had a nursing infant 
of four months, were also arrested. The latter were tied into a cart, to 
the rear end of which Hodgson, still pinioned, was fastened with his head 
downwards ; and thus were they conveyed over the bad roads to the city, 
where they were placed in separate dungeons. Upon trial, Hodgson was 
sentenced to two years' hard labor with a negro at the wheelbarrow, or to 
pay a fine of two hundred and forty dollars. Being destitute both of 
money and friends, he was, a few days afterwards, brought forth and 
chained to the wheelbarrow. In vain he argued that he was unused to 
labor, he was ordered to proceed ; but he refused to move. A tarred 
rope some four inches thick was then put into the hands of a strong negro, 
who beat the Quaker until he fell exhausted. He was lifted up and again 
beaten until it was estimated that he had received one hundred blows. 
All day, standing in the heat of a broiling sun, his body bruised and 
swollen, he was kept chained to the wheelbarrow. At last he fainted. 
He was thrown into the cell for the night, and the next day again chained 
to the wheelbarrow. A sentinel was placed over him, to prevent any 
conversation with his companion. As before, he refused to work. The 
third day, he was led forth chained, and was still indomitable in his re- 
sistance. Finally, he was taken before the governor. 

Stuyvesant told him that he must work ; that he should be whipped 



THE QUAKER PERSECUTION. 185 

every day until he did. The prisoner looked up boldly and demanded to 
be told what law he had broken. He was not answered, but sent away in 
contempt, and chained again to the wheelbarrow. He was now confined to 
his dungeon for two or three days, without even bread and water; but, as 
this brought no symptoms of surrender, a new torture was tried. He was 
takeu to a private room, stripped to the waist, and suspended from the 
ceiling by his hands, with a heavy log of wood fastened to his feet. He 
was then lashed by a negro until his flesh was cul to pieces ; and, after 
two days' respite in his dungeon, this barbarity was repeated. He begged 
to see some person of his own nation ; and at last a poor Englishwoman 
came and Lathed his wounds. She thought he could not live until morn- 
ing, and informed her husband of his terrible condition. The man hurried 
to the sheriff, and offered a fat ox to be allowed to remove Hodgson to his 
house until he recovered; but he was informed that the whole tine must 
be paid Indole any mercy could be shown to the prisoner. By this time, 
the pitiful story, having got well noised about, reached the ears of Mrs. 
Bayard, the governor's sister, who resolutely interfered in behalf of the 
sufferer, and obtained his release. 

Hodgson was by no means the last of the Quakers of that epoch. Per- 
secution seemed to multiply their numbers and increase their self-confi- 
dence. Rumors that they were creeping about among the Long Island 
towns led to the strictest watchfulness on the part of the magistrates, 
and any one who ventured to lodge or feed a Quaker, man or woman, was 
promptly arrested and imprisoned. Mrs. Scott and Mrs. Weeks, having 
been accused of "absenting themselves from public worship on the Lord's 
day, to attend a conventicle in the woods where there were two Quakers," 
were imprisoned. At their examination, they justified themselves, declar- 
ing that they had broken no law and done no wrong. Nevertheless, they 
were compelled to pay a heavy fine. There were a great number of 
similar instances. Three men, suspected of being Quakers, were brought 
before the governor and council, and at once confessed themselves such. 
But the tide of feeling had, by this time, become so strong against the 
tarred rope and wheelbarrow, that the prisoners were only sent back to 
Communipaw, whence they had come, with an admonition to remain 
there. The good dominies wrote to the West India Company of the 
alarming spread of sectarianism in New Netherland ; but the only answer 
was a quiet recommendation to allow the people to indulge their various 
religious beliefs. 

All at once, the Indians were again upon the war-path. This time, Eso- 
pus was threatened. A messenger came in haste to the city for assistance. 
The governor responded in person, accompanied by fifty soldiers under 



186 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Govert Loockermans. On Ascension Thursday, the settlers, to the num- 
ber of sixty or more, assembled at the house of Jacob Jansen Stol 
' for religious services. Stuy vesant was present, and took the oppor- 
tunity to urge the farmers to unite in a village, instead of living so far 
apart from each other. It seemed almost impossible to accomplish this, 
as their crops were already in the ground and in need of constant care 
and protection. They were but just recovering from their previous 
losses, and could ill afford the time necessary for removal and for the con- 
struction of defenses. They begged that the soldiers might remain until 
after harvest. " No," said Stuyvesant, with emphasis ; " but they shall 
remain with you until the extra work is done, if you will agree at once 
upon the site of your village." 

Meanwhile, messengers had been sent to all the great Indian sachems 
within easy distance, to invite them to an interview with the " big white 
sachem from Manhattan." They came, sixty or more, including women 
and children. The interview took place under an immense tree, just 
outside Mr. Stol's garden-fence. Stuyvesant went out to greet them, 
without any guard, and attended only by Govert Loockermans, who acted 
as interpreter. One of the chiefs arose and made a speech. He detailed 
in full the wrongs practiced upon the Indians for the last twenty years. 
When the sachem sat down, Stuyvesant was on his feet. His reply was 
a masterpiece of concentrated eloquence. He said he had nothing to do 
with events which had occurred before his time ; that such remembrances 
were buried when peace was agreed upon. "With his bold dark eye 
emitting flashes which seemed to penetrate the red skins of the stalwart 
warriors around him, he demanded, "Has any injury been done you in 
person or property, since the conclusion of peace, or since / came into the 
country?" They were silent. He paused a moment, and then rapidly 
enumerated the murders and affronts, the burning of houses and the 
killing of cattle, which he and his subjects had received at their hands. 
"You are overbearing and insolent," he said. " I have come to make war 
upon you, unless you surrender the murderer, 1 and make good all dam- 
ages. We have not had a foot of your land without paying you for it. 
You came and asked us to buy this land and make a settlement here ; 
and now you vex and threaten us." 

An old chief responded. He said the late murder had been committed 
by a Minnisinck Indian, who was skulking now at a great distance away. 
He complained of the selling of fire-water to his tribe, which had made 
great mischief. He said they had no malice against the white men, but 
the young men wanted to fight. 

1 An Esopus farmer had been killed, and two houses burned. 



WHITEHALL. 187 

Stuyvesaut sprang to his i'eet, and burled defiance at the young braves. 
"Let them step forth," he shouted, "I will place man against man; 
yes, I will place twenty against forty of your hot-heads. Now is your 
time. But it is unmanly and mean and contemptible to threaten farmers 
and women and children, who are not warriors " 

The Indians were humiliated. They dared not accept the challenge. 
They laid down a few fathoms of wampum, and expressed their sorrow for 
what had been done to injure the Esopus settlers. In the course of the 
negotiations, the proposed village was decided upon. A spot about two 
hundred and ten yards in circumference was chosen at the bend of the 
creek, where three sides could be surrounded with water. It belonged bo 
the Indians, who at first agreed to sell it, and then formally offered it as 
a gift to the governor, — " to grease his feet," they said, " because he had 
taken so long a journey to visit them." They suddenly seemed to hold 
the "great white sachem" in profound respect. Stuyvesant remained at 
Esopus until the buildings were removed to the new village, a guard- 
house Mas elected, a bridge was thrown across the creek, and temporary 
quarters were prepared for twenty-four soldiers that he proposed to leave 
behind, to keep the Indians on their good behavior. 

As soon as the governor returned, repairs upon Fort Amsterdam, which 
had been dragging along for months, were prosecuted with vigor. The 
negroes, under an overseer, 1 milt a stone-wall some three feet thick 
and ten feet high around the fortress. The governor's house was 
getting old and rusty. He accordingly built for himself a gubernatorial 
mansion of hewn stone, and called it "Whitehall." It was located upon 
the street which was subsequently named for it. It was surrounded by 
gardens on three sides, and a rich velvet lawn in front extended to the 
water's edge, where lay the governor's barge at the foot of fine cut stone 
steps. Upon the north side of the grounds there was an imposing 
gateway. 

The governor's country-seat, where he and his family usually spent the 
summer months, embraced the greater portion of the present Eleventh. 
Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Wards. It cost him originally sixty-Coin- hun- 
dred guilders. His house was a great, commodious, comfortable, home- 
like specimen of Holland architecture. His gardens were remarkably 
fine, and his land was in a high state of cultivation. He kept from thirty 
to fifty negro slaves, besides a number of white servants, constantly em- 
ployed in the improvement of his grounds. The road to the city had 
been put in good condition, and shade trees were planted on each side 
where it crossed the governor's property. 

The settlement of Harlem was commenced through an offer by the 



188 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



government to give any twenty-five families who would remove to that 
remote part of Manhattan Island a court and clergyman of their own 
and a ferry to Long Island. Upon the bank of the Harlem River a little 
tavern was built, which became quite a resort for pleasure-parties from 
the city. It was called the " Wedding Place." The road beyond Stuy- 
vesant's country-seat was little more than a bridle-path through the 






UG 






fr , '. ^ic n ^_ f 



STUYVtSANT 



"v/ / NIC>HOL.Aa WILLIAM 




' ' VERPLANCK N ST., 3 ^'A'- 'v ' / ' ^ ' ^ < / '^ 





Map of Stuyvesant's Bouwery. 

woods, crooking about to avoid ledges and ravines. The land travel at 
that period was almost exclusively on foot or on horseback ; few wagons 
had as yet reached the country. 

In the mean time, a general fear of the Indians took possession of the 
public mind. Stuyvesant had visited Esopus in the autumn, after the 
dwellings had been collected into a village, and tried to settle certain 
claims with the sachems. Only a few came to the interview. One of their 
number plead poverty in a studied and cunningly constructed piece of 
oratory, entirely avoiding the governor's question as to their intentions 
in regard to the surrender of a certain tract of land in compensation 
for the injuries they had committed. When brought back to that point, 
they went away, pretending that they must consult the absent chiefs. 



INDIAN HOSTILITIES. 189 

As they did not return, the governor left a guard of fifty soldiers at the 
post. A few months later, a sad circumstance enraged the savages fai 
and near. Thomas Chambers had acquired an immense tract of laud in 
the vicinity of Esopus, which had been erected into the manor of Fox- 
BALL. 1 Some seven or eight Indians in his employ had been husking and 
shelling corn until late one evening, when they obtained some brandy and 
had a drunken orgie. Their hideous and unearthly yells, breaking in 
upon the midnight stillness, startled the settlers, who reconnoitered to 
find out the cause. The officer in command of the fort forbade his 
soldiers to molest the poor -wretches; but some of the imprudent residents 
proceeded to the spot where they were lying in a heap together in the 
bushes, and fired a volley of musketry among them. Several were 
wounded, and a few ran away. Presently houses, barns, and corn-stacks 
were set on fire all through the country, and tin' Esopus fort was besieged 
for three weeks. News came to Manhattan that several prisoners had 
been taken by the Indians, and afterwards tortured in the most cruel 
manner and burned at the stake. The crisis was imminent. Despair 
seemed to paralyze the fighting men (if the colony. Stuyvesant had been 
suffering from a severe illness; but he met the situation grandly, visiting 
all the neighboring villages in person and using every effort to stimulate 
the farmers to fortify and prefect themselves. His energy was marvelous, 
and the resources of his mind abundant. He was delayed several days 
before he could raise a force sufficient to go to the aid of suffering 

Oct. 10. 

Esopus; but he succeeded at last, and took command in person. 
Upon his appearance the Indians tied, and heavy rains prevented his 
pursuing them. He obtained the co-operation of the Mohawks, and hav- 
ing concluded an armistice with the Esopus tribe, shortly succeeded in 
obtaining a few of the prisoners in exchange lor powder. It was a hollow 
truce, as everybody understood. During the entire winter after, the air 
was full of alarms. In the spring there was fighting again, and the 
Indians were driven back into the country. They were awed and i66o. 
made cautious, but not conquered. In July, however, through Jul y- 
the influence of the Mohawks and other friendly tribes, they sued for 
peace, and an important treaty was concluded. 

Staten Island was a dreary waste for long after the massacre of 1650. 
Baron Van der Capellen sent out fresh colonists, and offered many induce- 

1 This grant was confirmed, in 1686, by Governor Dongan, who invested the manor with 
power to hold Court Leet and Court Baron, besides many other temporal honors. 1 lhamben 
was a man of much dignity and influence. He was justice of the peace at Esopus, and did 
notable service in the war with the Indians. He left no descendants in the direct line ; and 
his name has disappeared, save from the Book of Patents. 



190 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

merits to encourage the settlers to return ; but they were timid. Melyn 
removed to New Haven. Baron Van der Capellen died, and his heirs 
sold their entire interest to the West India Company. In 1661, some 
French Huguenots started a village a little to the south of the Narrows, 
which was fostered by the government with fatherly care. Dominie 
Drisius visited them every two months, to preach in French and to ad- 
minister the sacrament. 

A tract of land near the Fresh Water Pond, which had hitherto been 
used as a common for the pasturing of cattle, was fenced in about this 
time and more especially devoted to the city cows. A herdsman was 
employed, who went through the streets every morning blowing a horn, 
collected his drove, conducted it to the grassy fields, and brought it again 
through the city gates at nightfall. 

As time wore on, the subject of education was discussed with increased 
earnestness. The schools were imperfect, and it was difficult to remedy 
the evil. The better class of citizens pressed for the establishment of a 
higher grade of schools. Now and then, some enterprising schoolmaster 
opened a private establishment without the consent of the government, 
and was immediately ordered to close it. Finally, the burgomasters and 
schepens wrote to the company, petitioning for a suitable master for a 
first-class Latin School: They said their sons had to be sent to New 
England for classical instruction. They agreed that the city should build 
a school-house, if the company woidd pay the teacher's salary. The 
company consented, and sent over Dr. Curtius, a physician of some note, 
who could practice medicine when not engaged with his pupils. At the 
end of two years, he resigned his position, on account of ill-health ; and 
Dominie iEgidius Luyck, who was a private tutor in the governor's family, 
was employed in Ids stead. He soon had twenty pupils, including two 
from Virginia and two from Albany. The public school was continued, 
and two private schools for small children were permitted. One of these 
was taught by Jan Lubbertsen. 

Dominie Henricus Selyns 1 arrived in the summer of 1660, to take the 
pastoral charge of the first church in Rreuckelen. He was formally in- 

1 Prior to 1660, the only ministers of the Reformed Church in New Netherland ■weir the 
Reverends Megapolensis and Drisius at New Amsterdam, Schaats at Beverwyck (Albany), 
I'ollicmus at Midwout (Flatbush), and Melius at New Amstel. The two first-named had 
written earnest letters to the I'lassis of Amsterdam, deseribing the state of religion in tliu 
colony, and entreating that good Dutch clergymen lie speedily sent over. These letters were 
forwarded to the College of the XIX. It was difficult to persuade clergymen to brave the 
hardships of a newly settled country, but Dominie Selyns received and accepted a call to 
the Brooklyn church. Dominie Blom came over with him under appointment to preach at 
Bsopus (now Kingston). 



OLIVER CROMWELL'S DEATH. 



191 



stalled on the 7th of September. The ceremony was specially interesting. 
Vice-Governor De Sille and Martin Cregier were deputed from tin- 
governor's council to introduce the minister to the congregation; after 
which, the call of the Classis and their certificate of examination, also a 
testimonial from the clergymen of Amsterdam, were read by the dominie 
himself to the assembly. He then preached his inaugural sermon. The 
church had twenty members, inclusive of one elder and two deacons. 
But they had as yet no church edifice, and the installation services took 
place in a barn. 

The next season, Dominie Selyns married a young woman in New 
Amsterdam. She was very gifted and beautiful Her portrait he has 
handed down to us in a charming little birthday ode. The governor, 
finding that the Breuckelen church could not raise the minister's salary 
without great embarrassment, offered to advance one hundred dollars 
per annum towards it, provided Dominie Selyns would preach at his 
farm on Sunday afternoons. He built a small chapel at his own expense 
on the site of the present church of St. Mark ; and services were held in 
it on the Sabbath during the remainder of his life. 

An event momentous in its consequences upon the future of the little 

city whose fortunes we are following occurred in the autumn of 1658. It 
was the death of Oliver Cromwell. The reins of power fell quietly into 
the hands of his eldest son, Richard But not for long. The young man 
was as weak as his father was strong. Within a year, England had dis- 
posed of him, and was in imminent danger of sinking under the tyranny 
of a succession of small men raised up and pulled down by military ca- 
price. General was opposed to general, and army to army. Finally, there 
was one grand union of sects and parties for the old laws of the nation 
against military despotism, and thus the way was paved for the return of 
Charles II. to the throne of his ancestors. 




Mjdal of Oliver Cromwell. 



192 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER Xll. 



THE RESTORATION. 

The Restoration. — Charles II. — The Connecticut Charter. — Sik George Downing. 

— George Baxter and John Scott. — Progress of the City. — The Antiquarian 
Map. — The Quakers. — Destruction of Esopus. — The Indian War of 1663. — 
Governor Stuyvesant in Boston. — Thomas Benedict. — Tin: Embassy to Con- 
necticut. — Startling Condition of Affairs. — John Scott. — Hon. Jeremias Van 
Rensselaer. — The Convention of 1664. — Mrs. Dr. Kierstede. — Planning of 
Charles II. and his Ministers. — An Unfriendly Expedition. — New Amsterdam 
in Danger. — Preparations for a Siege. — Winthrop's Interview with Stuyve- 
sant. — The Letter. — The approaching Storm. — The Crisis. — The Surrender. 

— New York. — Consequences of the Conquest. — Stuyvesant at the Hague. — 
The Stuyvesant Pear-Tree. — The Stuyvesant Family. 

ON the 8th of May, 1660, Charles II. set out on his triumphal journey 
from Breda to London. He was magnificently entertained at the 
Hague, and parted with the States-General and other officers of the 
Dutch government with the most profuse pledges of friendship. On 

1660. the 29th of May, he entered England, welcomed and escorted by 
m^ 29 - triumphal processions. A spirit of extravagant joy seemed to per- 
vade the whole nation. Loudon was in raptures. He remarked dryly, 
"that he could not see for the life of him why he had stayed away so 
long, when everybody was so charmed with him now that lie was at 
length come, back." 

For a time, he was more loved by the English people than any of his 
predecessors had been. The calamities of his house and his own roman- 
tic adventures rendered him an object of tender interest to all classes. 
His return had delivered them from what had become an intolerable 
bondage. Entertainments were the order of the day. Presently drunk- 
enness overran the kingdom and corrupted the morals of the people; 
and, through pretenses of religion and profane mockeries of true piety, 
grave disorders prevailed. 

The king was a young man (then about thirty years of age), of pleas- 



CHARLES II. 193 

ing address and elegant manners, He was cheerful in disposition, fond 
of wit and humor, and a great talker. He understood affairs, and was 
familiar with matters of government and religion. He was a good 
mathematician; his apprehension was quick, and his memory excellent. 
But he was insincere, had an ill opinion of mankind, detested busi- 
ness, and seemed to think the main object of life was to get all the 
pleasure possible out of every hour of the twenty-four. Like his father, 
he married a Catholic queen. His marriage festivities with Catharine of 
Braganza, of Portugal, were brilliantly celebrated at Hampton Court on 
the anniversary of his birth and restoration, May 29, 1662. But not 
like his father did he love his Catholic queen ; on the contrary, he 
neglected and wounded her, and rendered her life one of abject misery. 

The Convention Parliament which called him home revised the Navi- 
gation Act of 1651, and made it more obnoxious to the Dutch than ever. 
Presently, Lord Baltimore, through an agent at the Hague, ordered 

. July 24. 

the West India Company to surrender the lands on the south side 
of Delaware Bay. The directors were confounded. They promptly 
declined to yield territory which they held under grant from the States- 
General, and appealed to the latter for protection. A demand that Lord 
Baltimore should be ordered to desist from his pretensions until the 
boundaries were properly established, and that the territory to the east 
of the Hudson Kiver which the English had usurped should be restored 
and the inhabitants thereof required to conduct themselves as Dutch 
subjects, was at once forwarded to the Dutch minister at Whitehall, with 
directions to seize the first opportunity to lay it before the king. 

American affairs were confided to the new " Council of Foreign Plan- 
tations," of which Clarendon was the head. Charles declined to trouble 
his mind with them. He laughed at Lord Baltimore and the Earl of 
Stirling when they argued their claims, and said "the subject was too 
heavy for a crowned head." He hoped he should be "spared the stupid 
task of looking after a batch of restless Western adventurers." But he 
was reminded of the prospective treaty of commerce and alliance with the 
Dutch nation, and of the necessity of settling the Delaware Bay contro- 
versy, and requiring the Dutch on Long Island to submit to English 
authority. He promised to give his attention at some more convenient 
season in the future. Meanwhile, John De Witt, the grand pensionary 
and real chief magistrate of the Netherlands, grew weary of the procras- 
tination which prefaced the execution of the treaty, and instructed his 
minister to bring the matter to a close or to leave London. The document 
was accordingly signed, at Whitehall, September 14, 1662. At that very 
moment the "Council for Foreign Plantations " was maturing an order 

13 



194 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

for the Virginia governor to cause the Navigation Act to be carefully ob- 
served, notwithstanding the well-known intercolonial treaty which 
Stuyvesant had negotiated with Berkeley, and which had given 
great satisfaction to both provinces. A royal charter .was issued, invest- 
ing Connecticut with jurisdiction over the territory " bounded east by 
Narraganset Bay, north by the Massachusetts line, south by the sea, and 
west by the Pacific Ocean, including all the islands thereunto adjoining." 
This remarkable charter, under which Connecticut thrived until 1818, 
and which was as liberal in its character as any since granted by 
Ap our republican government, guaranteeing every privilege which 
freemen could desire, passed the great seal in April. It was obtained by 
John "Winthrop the younger. This gentleman was an elegant and 
accomplished courtier, and an intimate personal friend of Lord Say, Lord 
Seal, the Earl of Manchester, and others of the royal household. He 
was the founder of New Loudon, and the owner of Fisher's Island, 
where his family resided for some years in a mansion erected by himself. 
He was actively interested in all the concerns of the Connecticut 
Colony, and drafted the charter with his own pen, making the voyage 
to Europe in order to secure for it the sanction of the king. He wore 
into the royal presence an extraordinary ring which had been given to 
his grandmother by Charles I. This he took from his linger and pre- 
sented to Charles II., who was greatly pleased, and tenderly regarded the 
treasure which had once belonged to a father most dear to him. The 
opportune moment was seized for presenting the petition from Connecti- 
cut, " which was received with uncommon grace and favor " ; and Win- 
throp returned in triumph to America, 

When Stuyvesant heai - d of this transaction, he declared, that, " it was 
an absolute breach and nullification of the boundary treaty of 1650, and 
that it would justify the States-General and West India Company in for- 
cibly recovering all their ancient rights, which he had siirrendered for the 
sake of peace." He wrote sharply to Winthrop, who retorted in the same 
spirit. The latter proceeded to notify the people of Westchester and 
Long Island to send delegates to the General Court of Connecticut. Stuy- 
vesant appealed to his government for instructions. 

Sir George Downing, Winthrop's cousin, was the English minister at 
the Hague. He was one of the earliest, ablest, and most unprincipled 
graduates (in 1642) of Harvard College in Massachusetts. Subsequently, 
he was Cromwell's minister to the Dutch Republic, where he openly 
insulted his exiled king ; but, through consummate tact and management, 
he obtained forgiveness, and was taken into favor, at the Restoration. 
His American life rendered him familiar with the whole series of colo- 



SIB GEORGE DOWNING. 195 

Dial quarrels. He knew every weak point in the Dutch title to New 
Netherland He had no scruples of honor, was an ardent hater of the 
Dutch, and longed for a war which might aggrandize the new king and 
his satellites. He played a double part on all occasions. Once, after 
dining with De Witt, and promising with emphasis to use his best en- 
deavor for the righting of the wrong of the " Connecticut encroachments," 
he went to his own apartments and sent the following private advice to 
Clarendon: "Wait three or four months, and then answer that the king 
will write into those parts to be informed of the truth of the matter of 
fact and right on both sides." He adroitly gathered such information about 
Dutch affairs as he could turn to English advantage, and all his letters in 
the lords in power were seasoned with subtle arguments in favor of the 
undoubted right of England to the whole of New Netherland, which he 
athrrned to be " the most admirably situated region in North America." ' 

New England never took kindly to the Restoration. Charles was ac- 
knowledged with reluctance and grim austerity. The fear that he would 
install bishops in the colonies induced the Puritans to crowd petition 
after petition upon the notice of the indolent monarch, and the Church 
party were quite as voluminous in their complaints of the arrogant and 
domineering Puritans. Samuel Maverick appeared before the king, to 
claim redress for many grievances which he had suffered in Massachusetts. 
He was a zealous Episcopalian. He was accompanied by George Baxter 
and John Scott, from Long Island, who were smarting from the lash of 
Governor Stuyvesant. The latter were both extensive landholders : indeed. 
Scott claimed to have purchased nearly one third of the island. He had 
formerly been an officer in the army of Charles I., but for some political 
misdemeanor had been banished to New England. He was a brilliant 
logician, and the object of his appeal was to obtain a royal grant for the 
government of Long Island. The claim of Lord Stirling, however, was in 
the way. As for New Netherland, a statement was drawn up by Scott 
and Baxter, assisted by Maverick, to prove the king's title to it ; and it 
was emphatically asserted, that, "the Navigation Act could never be en- 
forced in America while that rich territory existed as a Dutch plantation." 

While Charles and his ministers Ustened with newly awakened inter- 
est, and revolved various plans by which New Netherland might be 
seized without an open rupture (for Charles disliked as much as some of 

1 Col. Doc, II. 224-229, 302-507 ; III. 47. 18. Aitzema, V. 64, 65. Lister's Claren- 
don, III. 276-279. OgiJbtjs America, 169. Brodhead, 11.12-20. Burnet's Sistory of 
the Reign of Charles IT., 136, 137. Sir George Downing was the son of Emanuel Down- 
ing, the brother-in-law of Governor John Winthrop. He was bora in London, and accom- 
panied his parents to America at the age of thirteen. 



1% HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

his lords desired hostilities), the West India Company and the States- 
General were mildly protesting against the " unpardonable usurpations," 
and asking the king to issue orders " for the immediate restoration of the 
towns and places in their American province which had been invaded by 
his subjects." At the same time, Stuyvesant, upon this side of the water, 
was working manfully to sustain his authority and promote the interests 
of his employers. 

During the year L661, the governor, as a sort of peace-offering, granted 
village charters to five Long Island towns. Among them was New 
Utrecht, founded by Jacques Cortelyou, who managed the estate of the 
deceased Mr. Werckhoven, for the heirs. This property, which embraced 
the land along the bay, from Gowanus to Coney Island, and which cost 
originally six coats, six kettles, six axes, six chisels, six small looking- 
glasses, twelve knives, and twelve combs, had been improved by Werck- 
hoven until it ottered special attractions, and the settlement had increased 
more rapidly than many others. 

Between the years 1660- 1664, the city of New Amsterdam grew in a 
ratio greatly exceeding that of any previous period. Business of all kinds 
was brisk. New settlers came and the old ones remained. New houses 
were built and manufactories established. Several breweries and brick 
kilns were in successful operation. The potteries of Long Island began 
to be esteemed equal to those of Delft. Lawyers were finding this 
lucrative field, and among the most prominent of these was Solomon La 
Chair. There has recently been exhumed, in the county clerk's office of 
the * 'ity Hall, a written volume of some three hundred pages, which is a 
careful minute of La Chair's legal proceedings, and a curious relic of that 
early period. He was a good English, as well as French and Dutch, 
scholar, and often acted as interpreter before the courts. He had at com- 
mand a large law library, as evidenced by the numerous quotations in his 
written arguments. The magistrates of Gravesend employed him, in 
opposition to Mr. Opdyck, to prosecute their claim to Coney Island. 

The accompanying map is the only plan of the city during the Dutch 
era. which is known to exist. It is presumed that the English officers 
found it after the capture, and gave to it its present shape, adding the 
date, 1664. It fell into the British Museum, where it remained in 
obscurity until a few years since, when it was rescued by George H. 
Moore, the librarian of the New York Historical Society. The outlines 
of the streets, though apparently drawn without measurement, seem to 
follow the proper directions, and the general character of the buildings 
is given without any special attempt at accuracy. But the map itself is 
a curious memorial, worthy of tender preservation. 



THE QUAKERS. 199 

About the time it was issued (1661), a fresh effort was made to assure 
discontented Puritans and other Englishmen that they would be welcomed 
and cherished by the Dutch in New Netherland. The States-Genera] 
caused a proclamation of "conditions and privileges" to be scattered 
through the British kingdom, 1 appended to which was a glowing descrip- 
tion of the country "only six weeks' sail from Holland, . . . land fertile, . . . 
climate the best in the world ; . . . seed may be committed to the soil 
without preparation, . . . timber and wild fruit of all descriptions, furs, 
game, fisheries," etc., etc. The picture was attractive. It enlisted atten- 
tion in various quarters. Among the first who came to look at the 
country, with a view to investment and permanent settlement, was Hon 
Robert Treat and Hon. Benjamin Fenn, as delegates from New Haven 
That little republic was in high dudgeon at the prospect of annexation to 
Connecticut, and seriously contemplated flying from her impending fate. 
Stuyvesant courteously entertained the gentlemen at his own house, and 
took them in his barge to the slimes of Newark Bay, where they spent 
some time in exploration, and finally negotiated terms by which the 
colony might remove bodily to that desirable locality. Events followed 
rapidly, however, which induced New Haven to throw herself into the 
arms of Connecticut for protection. 

The imitation to "persons of tender conscience " to come freely into 
New Netherland, by no means referred to the Quakers. These were still 
heartlessly persecuted. A Quaker divine having stopped on Long Island, 
at the residence of Henry Townsend, the fad was soon known among the 
neighbors. The report reached Stuyvesant that a "conventicle" had 
actually been held in Mr. Townsend's parlor. Presently, soldiers appeared 
and arrested Mr. Townsend and all who attended the meeting, and a 
strong guard was placed over the infected district. Quaker meetings 
were held secretly in Flushing, the headquarters of the sect being at the 
house of John Bowne, who was accused and arrested, and, for refusal to 
pay his fine, ship] >ed to Holland, as a terror to evil-doers. John Tilton 
and his wife Goodie Tilton, of Gravesend, persisted in their heresies 
and were peremptorily ordered to quil the province. These rigorous 
measures were followed by a proclamation from the governor, forbidding 
the exercise of any but the Eeformed religion "in houses, barns, ships, 
yachts, woods, or fields," under heavy penalties. The Amsterdam Cham- 
ber wrote to Stuyvesant shortly after, that, although it was their prefer- 
ence that " sectarians " should not be found in the province, yet it was 
not well to check population. "You had better let every one remain 
free," they said, " as long as he is modest, moderate, his political conduct 
i O'Callaghan, II. 443-452. 



200 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

irreproachable, and he does not offend others or oppose the govern- 
ment." 

Indian disturbances at the North kept Stuyvesant almost constantly on 
the wing, passing to and from Albany. In 1662, he met delegates from 
New England at Fort Orange, and an "accommodation " was effected with 
the Mohawks and Oneidas by which they liberated a few French and 
English captives. But Canada was threatened, and the danger was only 
stayed, not averted. 

In 1663, a severe shock of earthquake was felt in New Amsterdam, all 

along the Hudson River, in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Acadia, 

and Canada. It was followed by a terrible freshet, which de- 
stoyed the harvests in the neighborhood of Fort Orange, and inundated 
many other portions of the country. Upon the heels of this calamity, 
the small-pox made its appearance and spread with fearful rapidity. 1 
The good Puritans of New England declared, that, " the hand of Ood 
had gone out against the people of New Netherland by pestilential infec- 
tions." 

In the midst of the panic in New Amsterdam, news came which 

caused the cheek to blanch and the blood to stand still. A horri- 
' ble massacre had occurred at Esopus. On the morning of June 7, 
just after the men had gone to their w< irk in the fields, a large number of 
Indians sauntered carelessly into the village and tried to sell some beans. 
Fifteen minutes later, a horseman rode at full speed down the road, 
shouting that the Indians were setting fire to the houses. Instantly the 
war-whoop was raised, shots were heard in every direction, and battle- 
axes and tomahawks flashed in the sunlight. Women and children w 7 ere 
butchered in the most shocking manner. Many were left wounded and 
dying, and forty-five were earned into captivity. The men rallied with 
desperate energy, and, though poorly armed, s\icceeded eventually in 
driving the savages into the woods. But what a sight was there ! Twelve 
houses in the old, and every house in the new, village were mere heaps 
of smouldering rubbish ; husbands were standing over murdered wives ; 
and fathers were trying to identify the bodies of children who had been 
burned alive. 

Stuyvesant, having hastily called for volunteers, sent to the relief of 
the sufferers an armed force, commanded by Martin Cregier and Pieter 
Van Couwenhoven. They pursued the savages for a long distance 
through the wilderness, finding a guide in the person of Mrs. Dr. Van 
Imbroeck, the daughter of Dr. La Montague, who had been one of the 
captives on the day of the massacre, but who had escaped from her 

1 About one thousand Indians died 'if small-pox, among the Mohawks alone. 



THE INDIAN WAR OF 166S. 201 

captors and succeeded in finding her way back to the settlement. She 
conducted the party to the Indian castle where she last saw the warriors ; 
but it was vacant. After using it as a, shelter from a heavy rain-storm, 
the pursuers went on, through dense forests, over high hills, and across 
deep rivers, until they overtook the flying foe, and engaged them in a 
severe battle which resulted in the recovery of twenty-three prisoners. 
But the war did not end here. Other expeditions were planned and 
executed, and ancient treaties were renewed with the neighboring tribes. 
Still there was no peace. Out-settlers hurried to the forts and held 
regular watch, clay and night; and parties of soldiers scoured the woods 
all along the Hudson from Rensselaerswick to Manhattan. " Nothing is 
talked of," said Jeremias Van Rensselaer, in one of his letters, " but the 
Indians and the war." Late in the autumn, an "armistice " was 
agreed upon by the Esopus tribes, and all except three of the 
prisoners were restored to their friends. 

Lord Baltimore, in the mean time, had resorted tn various methods to 
obtain control of the South River territory. His son, Charles Calvert, 
came over ami visited the region, with a suite of twenty-seven persons, 
and was entertained, during his stay on the Smith River, by William 
Beekman, who was governor of the Dutch colony. The latter tried to 
discuss the matter of boundaries, but the young nobleman maintained an 
attitude of non-committal, and to all arguments replied that he would 
communicate with Lord Baltimore. At last, a transfer was made 
by the West India Company of all their interests on the South 
River to the city of Amsterdam. De Hinoyossa was appointed governor 
by the burgomasters and schepens ; and he soon arrived, accompanied by 
one hundred colonists. Beekman was made sheriff at Esopus, in which 
office he continued until the. close of Lovelace's administration, when he 
returned to New York. 

The West India Company was at this time laboring under great pecu- 
niary depression. Its outlay for the province of New Netherland, over 
and above its receipts, exceeded ten tons of gold ; and the province itself 
was threatened, from the North and the South, by a foreign power. Seeing 
no hope of obtaining in Europe a settlement of the limits between New 
Netherland and New England, the directors wrote to Stuyvesant, to see 
what arrangement he could effect in America, He accordingly made 

" ° J Sept. 6. 

a journey to Boston, to meet the commissioners who had agreed to 
the treaty of 1650. He asked them if they considered the agreement still 
in force. They were evasive. They talked about the king's rights and the 
Connecticut charter. They suggested that the whole controversy should 
undergo a hearing the next year, after advices had been received from 



202 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

England. The Connecticut delegates were triumphant, having obtained 
delay. Winthrop was able to predict with tolerable accuracy the final 
action of the English government, while Stuyvesant was perplexed by 
the extraordinary events which were taking place about him. He pro- 
posed a continuation of trade, and an alliance offensive and defensive 

against the savages, which was submitted to the General Courts 
ep ' 'of Massachusetts and Connecticut. He returned to New Am- 
sterdam, much chagrined at the meager result of his mission. On his 
arrival, he found Long Island in a great ferment. The messenger who 
had attempted to read to the people of Gravesend an announcement that 
" they were no longer under the Dutch government, but under that of 
Connecticut," had been arrested and conveyed to the city. The next 
night, the sheriff's house had been ransacked by a mob of about one hun- 
dred and fifty men ; he had escaped in the darkness to the house of his 

son-in-law and from there to New Amsterdam, where he had been 
' commended for his prompt action by the administration. 

Three davs later, Sergeant Hubbard was busy setting signatures 

Sept 29 . . 

' to a petition to the General Court at Hartford, in which, after a 
setting forth of the inconveniences " that doe much trouble us," is the 
following passage : 

" As we ar alruddy according to our best information under the scurts 
of your patten, so you would be pleased to cast over us the scurts of your 
government and protecktion." 

This was signed by Robert Coe, John Strickland, Zachariah Walker, 
Thomas Benedict, Thomas Benedict, Jr., and twenty-one others. 1 Thomas 
Benedict 2 was one of the bearers of the document to Hartford. He was 
well known and highly esteemed by Winthrop and his council ; indeed, 
lie was considered the main support of the cause of Connecticut on Long 

1 Tenons and Lands, I. 18, in the Secretary of State's office, Hartford. O'Cnllagkan, II. 
186. Benedict Genealogy, 9 — 12. 

2 Thomas Benedict was from Nottinghamshire, England. He came to New England in 
1638, when only twenty-one years of age. He married a young Englishwoman who came over 
in the same vessel with him. He soon sought the smiling regions of Long Island, and took 
up his abode at Jamaica. He became a man of distinction among the men of the period. He 
was a magistrate, the officer of a little train band in the neighborhood, a pillar in the church, 
the arbitrator of differences between the settlers and the Indians, one of the legislative body to 
create and codify the system of law on Long Island after its conquest from the Dutch, and, 
subsequently, a member of the Colonial Assembly. He removed to Norwalk, Connecticut, 
in 1665, and took an active and prominent part in the affairs of that ancient town. He died 
at the latter place in 1689. He was the ancestor of a large and influential family, about 
whom, in every generation since, all sorts of offices in church and state have clustered, and 
have been honorably and usefully filled. Among the eminent representatives of the family 
in New York, at the present day, is the Hon. Erastus C. Benedict. 



THE EMBASSY TO CONNECTICUT. 203 

Island. He urged the adoption of measures for the reduction of the 
Dutch towns. 

Stuyvesant sent commissioners at once to Connecticut, to enter, it 
possible, into some boundary accommodation. The gentlemen chosen for 
this mission were Secretary Van Euyven, Burgomaster Oloff S. Van 
Cortlandt, and John Lawrence. Money was wanted. Indeed, the press- 
ing necessities of the government induced the governor to draw upon 
the company for four thousand guilders; but no one could be found will- 
ing to cash the draft until he pledged four of the brass guns of the fort 
as security. The commissioners went in a small vessel to Milford, 
and thence on horseback to Hartford. They called upon Win- 
throp, who was polite, but not communicative. They made known their 
errand to the General Court, which appointed a committee to confer with 
them. They stated their case. The committee sheltered themselves 
behind the royal patent, and said they knew of no New Netherland prov- 
ince ! The gentlemen from New Netherland offered to show the charter 
of the West India Company. The committee said that this was only a 
charter of commerce, and that its limits were conditional. The retort 
was, that the right to the territory lay with the States-General, on the 
ground of discovery, purchase from the Indians, possession, etc. The 
committee denied that right, and said that it was their duty to make the 
king's grant known. " How then are we to regard the treaty of 1650 ?" 
was asked. " As of no force whatever," was the reply. 

The commissioners were nonplussed. They began to suspect a " wheel 
within a wheel " ; that the powers beyond the seas were working mischief 
in some mysterious way ; that bloodshed was lurking at their very doors. 
To prevent the latter, they resolved to propose that, if Connecticut would 
refrain from assuming any jurisdiction over the English settlements on 
Long Island until the kiug and the States-General should agree on a boun- 
dary line, New Netherland would abandon all control over Westchester. 
The Hartford committee declined to agree to this; but, after a long and 
excited debate, they offered to refrain for twelve months from exercising 
authority over the specified Long Island towns, provided the Dutch 
did ik it attempt any coercive power over them ; but Westchester and 
Stamford must remain under Connecticut. 

The commissioners, upon their return, found Stuyvesant seriously 
alarmed. "What shall I do?" he asked in despair. "Our treasury is ex- 
hausted, Long Island in revolt, and the Esopus war not ended ! " Seventy 
or eighty men had actually been in arms, marching from village to village 
on Long Island, in some instances changing the names of the places, and 
threatening the Dutch with extermination. He did not hesitate, but sent 



204 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Vice-Governor De Sille, with a posse of soldiers, to check the rebellion, and 
wrote to Winthrop, accepting the proposition in regard to a mutual for- 
bearance of jurisdiction for twelve months. Shortly after, he heard that 
twenty New-Englanders had gone to the Raritan River, to buy land of 
the Indians. He sent Martin Cregier, Govert Loockermans, and Jacques 
Cortelyou, with a few soldiers, in hot haste, to warn the sachems and pre- 
vent the sale. 

" You are a band of traitors, and you act against the government of the 
state," said Loockermans, with dignity. 

" Your government ! " was the contemptuous response, " the king's 
patent is of quite another cast." 

On the 2d of November, a convention was summoned which adopted 
a stern remonstrance, to be forwarded to Holland. It charged the 

Nov 2. 

responsibility of the disastrous condition of the province upon the 
West India Company, who seemed to be losing sight altogether of their 
own best interests. " Why do you not settle the boundary question ? " 
asked Stuy vesant, in a private letter to the directors. " Why is not your 
original charter solemnly confirmed by a public act of the States-General 
under their great seal ? Why are we left to fight your battles without 
any legal papers or patents by which we can respond to English imper- 
tinence ? " 

In December, Scott returned to America, bearing royal letters, recom- 
mending him to the New England governments. Connecticut 

1664. ° ° 

gave him the powers of a magistrate over Long Island, and Win- 
throp administered the oath of office. He proceeded to his field, and im- 
mediately commenced the missionary work of " freeing those who had 
been enslaved by the cruel and rapacious Dutch." He announced that 
Long Island was about to be given by the king to his brother the Duke of 
York, henceforth to be an independent government, and that, until then, 

he was to act as President. He raised a force of one hundred and 

Jan. 11. 

seventy men, to assist in the reduction of the Dutch villages. He 
proceeded from place to place, haranguing the people, and making unsuc- 
cessful efforts to establish his authority. In Breuckelen, he was jeered 
and insulted. In a fit of anger, he struck Martin Cregier's son, a bright 
boy of thirteen years, over the head with his whip, for refusing to take 
off his hat to the royal flag. 

Stuyvesaut sent Van Ruyven, Van Cortlandt, and Cregier to Jamaica to 

treat with Scott, and they were coolly informed that " the Duke of 
' York was soon to possess himself of the whole of New Nether- 
land " ! Upon their return, measures for defense were at once discussed. 
The city offered to appropriate its revenues towards the expense, and t& 



HON. JEREMIAS VAN RENSSELAER. 



205 



raise a loan besides. The State government would do what it could, but 
it was drifting into bankruptcy. 

The contusion on Long Island continued, and, at last, Stuyvesant went 




Van Rensselaer. 



over to hold a personal interview with Scott. The latter, though a 
man of much boldness, possessed little principle. He had been 
an officer in the army of Charles I., but was arrested for cut- 
ting the girths of some of the Parliamentary horses, and was not only 
fined £500, but also banished to New England. Stuyvesant was at- 
tended by Van Cortlandt, John Lawrence, Jacob Backer, and a military 
escort. Scott was surrounded by delegates from some of the English 



206 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



towns, among whom were Daniel Denton, John Underhill, and Adam 
Mott. The result was only a conditional arrangement, by which the 
principal English towns on Long Island were to remain under the king 
without molestation for twelve months, to afford opportunity for settle- 
ment in Europe. 

By request of the burgomasters and schepens of New Amsterdam, a 
Lavdtdag, or Diet, was called, which assembled in the City Hall 

pr on the 10th of April, for the purpose of taking into consideration 
the precarious condition of the province, The delegates from New 
Amsterdam were Burgomaster Cornelis Steenwyck and Schepen Jacob 
Backer ; from Bensselaerswick, Director Jeremias Van Rensselaer and 
Attorney Van Schelluyue ; from Fort Orange, Jan Verbeck and Gerrit 
Van Slechtenhorst ; from Breuckelen, William Bredenbent and Albert 
Cornelis Wantenaar ; from Flatbush, Jan Strycker and William Guil- 
liams ; from Esopus, Thomas Chambers and Dr. Van Imbroeck ; from 
Flatlands, Elbert Elbertsen and Coert Stevensen ; from New Utrecht, 
David Jochemsen and CorneUs Beekman ; from Boswyck, Jan Van Cleef 
and Guisbert Teunissen; from New Haerlem, Daniel Terneur and Jo- 
hannes Verveeler ; from Bergen, Englebert Steenhuysen and Herman 
Smeeman ; from Staten Island, David De Marest and Pierre Billou. 

The first question which agitated this august assemblage was that of 
the presidency. New Amsterdam claimed the honor, as the capital; 
Bensselaerswick, as the oldest colony. The right of the latter was 
finally admitted, and Hon. Jeremias Van Rensselaer took the chair. The 
convention next demanded protection of the government against both 
barbarian and civilized foes ; and, if such protection could not be 
afforded, it desired to be informed " to whom the people should 
address themselves." Stuyvesant answered, with dignity and subtle 
sarcasm, that 
he had done all 
and more than 
his means per- 
m i 1 1 e d, and 
that the object 
of the conven- 
tion was to 
consult, and 
not to dispute, 
as to the best 

method of raising men and money to meet the emergency. The delegates 
apologized, saying, they wished only to know whether their application 



April 11. 




{t/Wi^zs,, fia^ 




Autograph of Jeremias Van Rensselaer. 



THE CONVENTION OF 1661 207 

should be addressed to the West India Company or the States-General. 
Stuyvesant accepted the explanation, and proceeded to define the busi- 
ness before the gentlemen assembled. He said New Netherland had 
never contributed to her own support or defense. He proposed a tax on 
mills and cattle, and the enrollment of every sixth man in the province 
on the nnlitia. To this the convention would not assent, but prepared 
an appeal to the company for the necessary aid 

Before it was sent, a vessel arrived, bringing letters from Europe. 
Stuyvesant was informed that soldiers were on the way from Holland ; 
and he was instructed to exterminate the Esopus Indians, and to check 
the arrogance of the English on Long Island. The States-General had 
actually issued under their great seal a patent confirming the charter of 
the West India Company, — an important movement, had it come a little 
earlier. The convention, which had adjourned for a week, came 

ApriJ 22 

together once more. But it was not in favor of an attempt to re- 
duce the English towns. " Let me assure you," said Cornelia Beekman. 
" that the English rebels are as six to one, and that it would be impossible 
to subdue them. Connecticut would come to their help and massacre 
us all." 

As for the Indians, they were apparently humbled. Three sachems 
were, at that moment, in New Amsterdam suing for peace. It was wise 
to treat with them. The result was a general treaty, concluded in 
the Council Chamber on the 15th of May. There were present a 
large number of chiefs ; Governor Stuyvesant. in full robes of state, with 
Vice-Governor De Sille at his right hand; Abraham Wilmerdoncx, Jr., 
of the West India Company ; Thomas Chambers, (if Esopus; and, of the 
city magistrates, Cornells Steenwyck, Paulus Van der Grist, Martin 
Cregier, Govert Loockermans, Jacob Backer, and Pieter Van Couwenkoven. 
Sarah, the wife of Dr. Hans Kiersted, acted as interpreter. She was the 
daughter of the celebrated Anetje Jans Bogardus, and was a woman of 
unusual nerve and strength of character. On many previous occasions, 
she had filled the office of interpreter with great satisfaction to the 
sachems, one of whom made her a present of a large tract of land, near 
the Hackinsack River. 1 

While the people of New Amsterdam were thus engaged, Connecticut 
had reached across the Sound and spoiled the ambitious projects of 
President Scott, who was earned to Hartford and imprisoned. Shortly 
after, when Stuyvesant's messengers went through the Long Island towns 

■ After the death of Mrs. Sarah Kiersted, Dr. KiersU-d married Jannetje Loockermans, 
who died about 1710. Or. Kiersted left five children, whose descendants are numerous and 
influential at the present day. 



208 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

with mandatory letters from the States-General, they were forbidden to 
read them, and the documents were seized and sent to Hartford. Win- 
throp questioned their authenticity. At all events, he was fortified by 
the king's patent. About the same time, he authorized Thomas Pell to 
trade with the Indians for all the land between Westchester and the 
North River, including Spuyten Duyvel Creek, which the Dutch had 
bought and paid for, fifteen years before. 

Early in June, news came to the city that Winthrop was at Gravesend, 
and Stuyvesant, accompanied by Secretary Van Ruyven and sev- 
eral other prominent gentlemen, went over to meet him. Win- 
throp was very courtly and cold, and insisted that the English title was 
indisputable ; so that the interview was without any favorable results. 

Meanwhile, in spite of treaties and at the risk of war, Charles and his 
ministers had resolved to seize New Netherland. The first important 
step was to purchase Lord Stirling's interest in Long Island, for which 
Clarendon agreed to pay three thousand five hundred pounds, in behalf 
of his son-in-law, James, Duke of York. He then hastened to affix the 
great seal to a patent, by which the king granted to the Duke of York 
" the territory comprehending Long Island and the islands in the neigh- 
borhood, and all the lands and rivers from the west side of the Connecti- 
cut River to the east side of Delaware Bay." This included the whole of 
New Netherland, and was in utter disregard of the Connecticut Charter. 

An expedition against the Dutch in America was at once ordered, but 
kept a profound secret, lest the States-General should send a squadron to 
aid their unprotected subjects. The Duke of York, who had been ap- 
pointed Lord High Admiral of the British dominions, was to manage the 
enterprise. He borrowed of the king four war-vessels, on which he 
embarked four hundred and fifty well-trained soldiers, under the 

p ' command of Colonel Richard Nicolls, the groom of his bedcham- 
ber, who was also commissioned as governor of the yet unpossessed terri- 
tory. Among the commissioned officers serving under Nicolls, were 
Matthias Nicolls, Daniel Brodhead, Robert Needham, Harry Norwood, 
and Sylvester Salisbury, some of whom were accompanied by their 
families. 1 A commission, consisting of Colonel Nicolls, Sir Robert Carr, 
Sir George Cartwright, and Samuel Maverick, were empowered to attend 
to the general welfare of the colonies, settle boundaries, etc. The fleet 
sailed from Portsmouth about the middle of May. 2 

1 Matthias Nicolls settled on Long Island ; Daniel Brodhead and Sylvester Salisbury, in 
Ulster County, New York. Their descendants are very numerous, and rank among the best 
families in this country. 

a Col. Doc., II. 243-501 ; III. 66. Mass. H. S. Coll., XXXVI. 527. Pepys, IV. 353. 
Clarke's James II., I. 400. Valentine's Manual I860, 592. Smith, I. 16. Wood, 144. 
Brodhead, II. 21. 



UNFRIENDLY EXPEDITION. 209 

The first intimation New Amsterdam received of these hostile designs 
was through Richard Lord, of Lyme, a merchant, who was sending vessels 
to both Boston and New Amsterdam. He heard of it in the former 
place and communicated the fact to Thomas Willett, with whom he was 
doing business. Willett hastened to Stuyvesant, and, within an hour, the 
burgomasters and schepens were in close councd with the brave old 
soldier, devising plans for fortifying the city. Some vessels on the point 
of sailing for Curacoa were countermanded, and agents were sent hurriedly 
to New Haven to buy provisions. Men were stationed at Westchester 
and Milford, to act the part of spies, and announce the approach of the 
enemy, who were expected by way of the Sound. A loan of money was 
obtained from Jeremias Van Rensselaer, and a quantity of powder was 
secured from New Amstel. At this critical moment, when every hour 
was more precious than gold, a dispatch from the Amsterdam Chamber 
to Stuyvesant declared that no danger from England need be appre- 
hended — that the king had only sent some frigates to introduce Episco- 
pacy into New England. 

Confidence was thus restored, and the Curacoa vessels were permitted 
to depart. Mischievous quarrels among the Indians to the North 
induced Stuyvesant to take a trip to Fort Orange. He had 
reached his destination and entered upon the work of reconciling the 
savages, when an express followed him to say that the English squadron 
was actually on the way from Boston to New Amsterdam. He hurried 
home, arriving only three days before the English banners floated over 
the bay, just below the Narrows. One of his first acts was to set all his 
own negro slaves and hired workmen at his farm thrashing 

Aug. 29. 

grain night and day, and carting it to the fort. Three weeks had 
been lost in false security ; the city, alas ! was ill prepared to stand a 
siege. The fort, and the wall at Wall Street, however strong a defense 
against the Indians, would avail positively nothing against a civilized foe ; 
and there Mas the exposure on two rivers ' Four hundred men were all 
that could be mustered, to bear arms. Six hundred pounds was the max- 
imum of powder in the fort. Then, the English inhabitants were numer- 
ous ;md would aid the king's forces ; and the latter, before casting anchor, 
had cut off all communication between the city and Long Island, and had 
scattered proclamations through the country, promising safe and undis- 
turbed possession of property to all who would quietly submit to the 
government of England. 

Stuyvesant regarded the situation with dismay. The English were in 
full possession of the harbor. He hastily called in the few soldiers from 
Esopus and other outposts, and, wishing to ascertain the condition of 
14 



210 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

affairs on Long Island, sent to the English commander four commission- 
ers, representing the council and the city, with a letter inquiring the object 
of his coming, and why he remained so long in the harbor without giving 
due notice. Nicolls replied, that he had come to reduce the country to 
the obedience of the king of England, whose commission he displayed ; 
and that he would send a letter to the governor on the following day. 
Saturday morning, Sir George Cartwright and three other gentle- 
men came to the city, and were received with a formal salute from 
the guns of the Battery. The interview was ceremonious in the extreme. 
They bore from Nicolls to Stuyvesant a formal summons to surrender the 
province of New Netherland, with all its towns, forts, etc., at the same 
time promising to confirm his estate, life, and liberty to every man who 
should submit without opposition to the king's authority. 

Nicolls having omitted to sign this summons, it was returned to the 
delegates, and time thereby gained. Stuyvesant and his council con- 
sulted with the city magistrates. Stuyvesant was determined upon de- 
fending his post to the last, and withheld the paper which contained the 
terms of surrender, lest it should influence the people to insist upon 
capitulation. The city magistrates were strongly in favor of non-resist- 
ance, but thought it well to bring the city into as fair a state of defense 
as possible, in order to obtain "good terms and conditions." Men worked 
all day Sunday on the fortifications, and the officers of the government 
were in close council for several hours. On Monday morning, a 
P ' ' meeting of the citizens was called at the City Hall, and the bur- 
gomasters stated publicly that they had been denied a copy of the sum- 
mons which Nicolls had sent to Stuyvesant, but explained the terms of 
surrender. A loud clamor at once arose for the paper itself. Stuyvesant 
came to the City Hall and attempted to explain the impossibility of 
surrender under any circumstances, the extreme displeasure it would 
occasion in Holland, the painful responsibility that was resting upon him, 
etc., etc., but, in the end, produced the desired document. 

The work of preparation continued through the day ; and anxiety and 
excitement were everywhere apparent. On Tuesday morning, 
ep ' ' Governor Winthrop, who had joined the fleet, accompanied by his 
son Fitz John, Ex-Governor Willys, Thomas Willett, and two Boston gen- 
tlemen, visited the city in a row-boat, under a flag of truce. As they 
landed at the wharf, a salute was fired, and they were conducted to the 
nearest public house. Stuyvesant met them with stately politeness. 
Winthrop's mission was to present a carefully written letter from Nicolls 
and to use his own utmost endeavor to persuade the Dutch governor into 
a peaceful submission. There were many courtly speeches and replies 



WINTHROFS INTERVIEW WITH STUYVESANT. 211 

during the interview, hut Stuyvesant was iron-hearted and declined 
Winthrop's urbane advice. On taking leave, Winthrop handed the fol- 
lowing letter, addressed to himself, to Stuyvesant, who read it aloud to 
the gentlemen of his council and the burgomasters present ; 

" Mr. Winthrop : As to those particulars you spoke to me, I do assure you 
that if the Manhadoes be delivered up to his Majesty, I shall not hinder, 
but any people from the Netherlands may freely come and plant there, or 
thereabouts ; and such vessels of their owne country may freely come thither, 
aud any of them may as freely returne home, in vessels of their owne country, and 
this, and much more, is contained in the privilege of his Majesty's English sub- 
jects ; and thus much you may, by what means you please, assure the governor 
from, .Sir, Your very affectionate servant, 

" Richard Nicolls." 

The burgomasters asked permission to read this letter to the citizens. 
Stuyvesant pronounced such a course injudicious and refused his consent. 
Van Cortlaudt declared that all which concerned the public welfare 
ought to be made public. High words ensued on both sides, and finally 
Stuyvesant in a fit of passionate indignation tore the letter in pieces. 
Steenwyck, in angry tones, condemned the destruction of a paper of so 
much consequence, and, with the other magistrates, quitted the fort. A 
crowd had collected about the City Hall, to learn how matters stood. 
The news was received with lowering brows. Suddenly the work on the 
palisades stopped, and three of the principal citizens — not belonging to 
the government — appeared before the governor and council and peremp- 
torily demanded a copy of the letter. They were not disposed to parley. 
The fragments were shown to them ; but no reasoning would satisfy them. 
They threatened — covertly at first, and then openly. Stuyvesant hurried 
to the City Hall and tried in vain to quiet the raving multitude. " It 
would be as idle to attempt to defend the city against so many as to gape 
before an oven," was the general cry. Some cursed the governor ; others 
cursed the company ; but all united in a demand for the letter. He 
argued that it did not concern the commonalty, but only the officers of 
the government. " The letter ! The letter ! " was the only reply. Re- 
tiring from this outburst of popular fury, he returned to the fort, and 
Nicholas Bayard, his private secretary, having gathered the scattered 
scraps, made a copy of the mutilated document, which was given to the 
burgomasters. 

Meanwhile, Stuyvesant had been preparing an answer to the summons 
of Nicolls. It was an overwhelming argument, tracing the history of 
New Netherland through all its vicissitudes, and pointing out the abso- 



212 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

lute unsoundness of the English claim. He pictured in earnest language 
the consequences of any violation of the articles of peace so solemnly 
agreed upon by Charles and the States-General, and warned the English 
commander against aggression. He sent four of his ablest advisers — two 
from his council and two from the city — to convey the document to 
Colonel Nicolls, and to " argue the matter " with him. 

Nicolls declined discussion. He said the question of right did not con- 
cern him. He must and would take possession of the place. If the 
reasonable terms he offered were not accepted, he should proceed to 
attack. 

" On Thursday, I shall speak with you at the Manhattans," he said, 
with dignity. 

" Friends will be welcome, if they come in a friendly manner," replied 
one of the delegates. 

" I shall come with my ships and soldiers, and he will be a bold mes- 
senger indeed who will dare to come on board and solicit terms," was his 
rejoinder. 

" What, then, is to be done ? " was asked. 

" Hoist the white flag of peace at the fort, and I may take something 
into consideration." 

The delegates returned sadly to New Amsterdam. Nicolls, seeing 
that Stuyvesant was not disposed to surrender, made preliminary arrange- 
ments for storming the city. He called the people of Long Island 
together at Gravesend, and published the king's patent to the Duke of 
York, and his own commission, in their presence. Winthrop announced, 
on behalf of Connecticut, that, as the king's pleasure was now fully signi- 
fied, the jurisdiction which that colony had claimed and exercised over 
Long Island "ceased and became null." Nicolls promised to confirm all 
the civil officers who had been appointed by Connecticut, — which gave 
immense satisfaction. Volunteers, to swell his army, came from all parts 
of the island. Prospects of plunder seem to have entered largely into 
their calculations. The citizens of New Amsterdam regarded them as 
their deadly enemies ; and well they might, at this juncture, for threats 
and curses filled the air, and rovers talked openly of " where the young 
women lived who wore chains of gold." 

The volunteers were encamped just below Breuckelen, to be ready to 

storm the city by land. Nicolls sent a few of his troops to join them. 

It was rumored that six hundred Northern savages and one hundred 

and fifty Frenchmen had re-enforced the English forces against 

Sept. 5. 

the Dutch. On the morning of September 5th, Nicolls came up 
under full sail, and anchored between the fort and Governor's Island. 



THE CRISIS. 213 

The crisis had come. New Amsterdam, with its population of fifteen 
hundred souls, was "encircled round about," without any means of 
deliverance. " It is a matter of desperation rather than soldiership to 
attempt to hold the fort," said Vice-Governor De Sille. 

Stuyvesant stood in one of the angles of the fort, near where the gun- 
ner held a burning match, awaiting the order to fire at the approaching 
vessels. He had been expostulated with by one and another, who saw 
only infatuation ami ruin in resisting a foe with such extraordinary ad- 
vantage in point of numbers ; but to all he had answered, with emphasis, 
" I must act in obedience to orders." " It is madness," said Dominie 
Megapolensis, laying his hand lovingly upon the governor's shoulder. 
" Do you not see that there is no help for us either to the north or to 
the south, to the east or to the west ? What will our twenty guns do 
in the face of the sixty-two which are pointed towards us on yonder 
frigates ? Pray, do not be the first to shed blood ! " 

Just then, a paper was brought to Stuyvesant signed by ninety-three 
of the principal citizens, including the burgomasters and schepeus, and 
his own son, Balthazar, urging with manly arguments that he woidd not 
doom the city to ashes and spill innocent blood, as it was evident the 
sacrifice could avail nothing in the end. He read the appeal with white 
lips, and with unspeakable sorrow expressed in every feature. His only 
remark was, " I had rather be carried to my grave." Five minutes later, 
the white Hag waved above the fort. 

Arrangements were immediately made for a meeting, to agree upon 
articles of capitulation. The time was eight o'clock, on Saturday morn- 
ing ; the place, Stuyvesant's country-house at the farm, d ilonel 
Nicolls appointed his two colleagues, Sir Eobert Carr and Sir 
George Carteret, and the New England gentlemen, Governor Winthrop 
and Ex-Governor Willys of Connecticut, and John Pinchon and Thomas 
Clarke of Boston, as his commissioners. Stuyvesant selected Hon. John 
De Decker, Hon. Nicholas Varlett, and Dominie Megapolensis from his 
council, to represent the province, and Cornelis Steenwyck, Oloff S. Van 
Cortlandt, and Jacques Cousseau, to represent the city. The proclama- 
tion and the reiterated promises of Nicolls formed the basis of the 
twenty-four articles which were carefully and intelligently discussed ou 
that momentous occasion. The Dutch citizens were guaranteed security 
in their property, customs, conscience, and religion. Intercourse with 
Holland was to continue as before the coming of the English. Public 
buildings and public records were to be respected, and all civil officers 
were to remain in power until the customary time for a new election. 
The articles of capitulation were to be ratified by Nicolls and delivered 



214 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

to Stuyvesant by eight o'clock on Monday morning, at the " old mill," 
on the shore of the East River, near the foot of Roosevelt Street, at the 
outlet of the brook which ran from the Fresh Water Pond. Within two 
hours afterward, the fort was to be vacated, the military marching out 
with all the honors of war. 

On Sunday afternoon, after the second sermon, the conciliatory terms 

by which New Amsterdam was surrendered — terms, perhaps, the most 

favorable ever granted by a conqueror — were explained to the 

ept ' 7 anxious community. On Monday morning, Stuyvesant and his 

council affixed their names to the articles of capitulation, and exchanged 

them with Nicolls. All tilings being ready, the garrison marched out 

of the fort, carrying their arms, with drums beating and colors flying, 

and embarked on a vessel about to set sail for Holland. Colonel Nicolls 

and Sir Robert Carr formed their companies into six columns, 

and entered the town as the Dutch garrison departed. The city 

magistrates were assembled in the council chamber, and with much 

ceremony proclaimed Nicolls governor of the province. The English 

flag was raised over the fort, which was now to be called Fort James, and 

New Amsterdam was henceforth to be known as New York. 

The conquest of Long Island and New Amsterdam has been widely 
stigmatized as an act of peculiar national baseness. It was matured in 
secret and accomplished with deliberate deceit towards a friendly govern- 
ment. It provoked a war which disgraced the reign of Charles II. ; a 
war in which Dutch fleets not only swept the Channel, but entered the 
Thames, burned the warehouses and dock-yards at Chatham, and mad- 
dened and terrified the citizens of London with the roar of their cannon. 
And yet, unjustifiable as it surely was for an undeclared enemy to sneak 
into a remote harbor and treacherously seize a province, the temptation 
furnished by the circumstances of the case may perhaps be cited as a 
sort of palliation of the deed. The West India Company and the 
States-General had always undervalued New Netherlaud ; it was their 
neglect of it which had been the most potent stimulus to English am- 
bition ; and finally, the event itself could not have been avoided by the 
Dutch government unless all their previous policy had been reversed 
and their title planted upon a more tenable basis. 

Stuyvesant was mortified and humiliated beyond expression. His 
solitary heroism, and his loyalty, unshaken to the last, did not protect 
him from the severe censure of his superiors. He was summoned to 
Holland to render an account of his administration, and detained there 
many months. The soulless corporation was dying by inches. The loss 
of its province had been its death-blow. But it had sufficient vitality 



THE STUYVESANT PEAR-TREE. 



215 



left to make a desperate effort to shift the responsibility of its misfor- 
tunes upon the head of its faithful servant, notwithstanding abundant 
proof that, year after year, and by almost every ship which crossed the 
ocean, he had warned the self-sufficient company of the impossibility of 
holding the province against any hostile attack without the means to 
improve its weak and dangerous condition. The peace of Breda put an 
end to the controversy, and Stuyvesant, whose property interests were 
all in New York, returned and took up his abode here as a private citi- 
zen. While at the Hague, he labored incessantly to secure from the 
king the ratification of the sixth article in his treaty with Nicolls, which 
granted free trade with Holland in Dutch vessels. He wrote to Charles, 
that New York could scarcely be relieved by England during the pres- 
ent season, and that what he asked for would prevent the Indians from 
diverting their traffic to Canada, as well as enable the Dutch inhabitants 
to follow their prosperous vocations. His logic was convincing, and 
Charles authorized the Duke of York to grant " temporary permission 
for seven years, with three ships only." 

Stuyvesant brought with 
him, on his return voyage to 
New York, a pear-tree, which 
he planted in his garden. 
It survived the storms of 
two hundred winters. As the 
city grew, and one old land- 
mark after another disap- 
peared, the solitary pear-tree 
long continued to put out its 
blossoms every spring and to 
bend under the weight of its 
fruit every summer. It stood 
for many years, surrounded 
by an iron fence, on the cor- 
ner of East 13th Street and 
3d Avenue ; and when, at last, 
it fell, many a loyal mourner 
strove to obtain a fragment 
of its broken body to preserve 
in remembrance of by-gone 
times. The railing which en- 
closed it may still be seen, 
and within it a vigorous young offshoot of the parent tree, putting forth 




216 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



its leaves and branches with an appearance of family pride, and a good 
degree of the family energy. 

The life of Governor Stuyvesant was one long romantic history, as 
well as an instructive lesson. He had marvelous intellectual power, 
great subtlety of discernment, and yet a peculiar turn of mind which 
rendered him less successful in politics than were many who had not 
half his ability. He gave evidence of extensive reading ; a fact in 
itself remarkable, wheu we take into consideration the age in which he 
lived, and the difficulty, at that time, of obtaining books in this country. 
He was a courtly man, from whom the freshness of youth had quite 



^^■^a&Ba 



IntorsVaint lies hunt J ' • ----- \:- s 

PETRUS STUYVESANT. 

late Captain-General and GuvernorinCliiefofAaistenLim 

inNew-Nelherland now called New -York - : . 

and theDirfdiWesl-India Islands , died in AD.1675 

aggcL 8° Y ears - 






Stuyvesant's Tomb. 

departed, when he retired from public life. He was active, however, in 
all his movements long after a restful repose had settled upon his care- 
worn features. He interested himself in church affairs and in. city 
improvements, grew social and companionable, frequently dined his 
English successor at his country-seat, and rendered himself very dear to 
his family and intimate friends. He gave one the impression of fine 
rich fruit, not tempting in external show, but sound and sweet to the 
core. He died in 1672, and was interred in the family vault, in the 
church upon his farm. One hundred and thirty years afterward, St. 
Mark's Church was erected upon the same site, and Peter Stuyvesant, 
the great-grandson of the governor, caused the vault to be repaired and 
enlarged. Upon the outer wall of St. Mark's Church is the original tab- 
let, of which the sketch is a facsimile. 

Governor Stuyvesant had two sons, Balthazar and Nicholas William. 



THE STUYVESANT FAMILY. 



217 



The former was born in 1647, and the latter in 1648. Balthazar re- 
moved to the "West Indies after the surrender of the province. Nicholas 
William married Maria, the only daughter of William Beekruan, who 
died without issue. He then married Elizabeth Slechtenhorst, daughter 
of the famous commander of Kensselaerswick. They had three children, 
Peter, Anna, and Gerardus. The former died in 1705, having never 
married Anna married the Rev. Mr. Pritchard, an Episcopal clergyman. 
Gerardus married his second cousin, Judith Bayard. They had four sons, 
only one of whom, Peter, left descendants. He was born in 17-7. and 
married Margaret, daughter of Gilbert Livingston. Their suns. Nicholas 
William and Peter Gerard, are well remembered by our older citizens ; 
of their daughters, Judith married Benjamin Winthrop, Cornelia mar- 
ried Dirck Ten Broeck, and Elizabeth married Colonel Nicholas Fish 
and was the mother of Hon. Hamilton Fish, the present Secretary of 
State for the United States. 




[" Petersheld " was the residence of Peter Gerard Stuyvesant (many years President of the New York 
Historical Society), who married, I, Susan, daughter of Colonel Thomas Barclay; 2, Helen Sarah, 
daughter of Hon. John Rutherford, of New Jersey. The " Bowery House" was the resident 
"las William, the brother of Peter Gerard Stuyvesant. Both mansions were built prior to the Revolu- 
tion. For location, see map of Stuyvesant estate, page iSS. The chief portion of this extensive prop- 
erty is now in possession of the three descendants, Hon. Hamilton Fish (Secretary of State), Benjamin 
Robert Winthrop, and Louis M. Rutherford, the well-known astronomer.] 



"218 HISTOMY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

1664 - 1668. 

NEW YORK. 

New York. — The Duke of York. — Governor Nicolls. — Mr. and Mrs. Johannes 
Van Brugh. — The Brodhead Family. — Albany. — The Taking of the Oath of 
Allegiance to England. — Sir Robert Carr at Delaware Bay. — An Extraordi- 
nary Complication. — Connecticut Diplomacy*. — The Dividing Line between 
Connecticut and New York. — New Jersey. — Elizabetutown. — Johannes De 
Peyster. — Interesting Controversy. — Court of Assizes. — Nicolls a Law- 
Maker. — The Hempstead Convention. — "The Duke's Laws." — The First Race- 
Course on Long Island. — The First Vineyard on Long Island. — The First 
Mayor of New York. — The First Aldermen. — John Lawrence. — Nicholas 
Bayard. — Symptoms of War. — Secret Orders. — War declared. — Cornells 
Steenwyck. — The Plague in London. — The Great Fire in London. — England's 
Disgrace. — Clarendon's Fall. — New York's Miseries. — Nicolls's Wisdom. — 
Witchcraft. — The Manors of Gardiner and Shelter Islands. — Nicolls asks 
for his Recall. 

IT has been the destiny of New York to sustain fiercer trials and to 
gain a wider and more varied experience than any other American 
State. The first half-century of her existence, though not very fruitfid in 
•ichievenients, greatly surpasses in importance any other equal period, 
from having projected the impidse and prescribed the law of her subse- 
quent development. When, in 1664, she was geographically united to 
New England and the Southern British colonies, and exchanged a repub- 
lican sovereignty for an hereditary king, she possessed the vital element 
of all her later greatness. The irrepressible forces, political, social, and 
religious, which were sweeping over the chief nationalities of Europe in 
that remarkable century, were already here, and pushing to unforeseen 
ends. Eighteen languages were spoken in our infant capital. The arri- 
vals which fodowed increased without materially changing the character 
of the popidation. The old, stubborn, intensely practical Dutch spirit 
was firmly planted in this soil ; English inflexibility, sagacity, and invig- 
orating life had also taken root ; and French industry, refinement, and 
vivacity flourished, if possible, the most luxuriantly of the three. The 



THE DUKE OF YORK. 219 

chief impulse of the Huguenot movement, which had begun in France, 
both iu the capital and in the University, was coeval with the revival of 
letters. Hence those who fled into voluntary exile were generally of the 
cultivated and wealthy classes. They transplanted to New York an 
influence of education and graceful accomplishments, and gave a certain 
chivalric tone to the new society. We have seen Dr. La Montague closely 
associated in the New 7 Netherland government for more than a score of 
years ; and we find that the public documents of the period were written 
in the French as well as the Dutch language. Swedes, Germans, and 
some of other nationalities were here, but in smaller numbers. The 
inhabitants, drawn together from regions so remote, grew to be one peo- 
ple : a fearless, thoughtful, energetic, constructive people, politically alive, 
religiously free ; a people which rejected hereditary leaders and kept 
those whom it elected under careful limitations. New York, standing 
midway among the sea-coast colonies, modified with her broader views 
the narrowness of her neighbors, and, after guarding for a century her 
long frontier from the attacks of Canada, became the pivot upon which 
turned the most important events of that gigantic Revolution which gave 
birth to a nation. 

The Duke of York was a practical business man. He had been told 
that his new territory, if well managed, would yield him thirty thousand 
pounds per annum. In none of his plans and arrangements did he dis- 
play mure far-sighted common-sense than in his choice of a capable, 
resolute, and honest governor. Colonel Nicolls was the sun of a lawyer 
of the Middle Temple. His mother was the daughter of Sir George 
Bruce. He was splendidly educated and accustomed to all the refine- 
ments of the higher European circles. Warmly attached to the royal 
cause, he had shared its fortunes, and spent much time, as an exile, in 
Holland. He was familiar with the Dutch literature, aud spoke the 
Dutch and French languages as well as he spoke his own. He was ahout 
forty years of age; a little above the medium height; of fine, statelj 
presence, with a fair, open face, a pleasant, magnetic gray eye, somewhat 
deeply set, and hair slightly curled at the ends. 

He laughed a little at the fort, with its feint of strength, and its quaint 
double-roofed church within, but found the governor's house very com- 
fortably furnished and quite attractive for a new country. The city 
pleased him. Its promise was vague and undefined, but he wrote to 
King James that it was undoubtedly the best of all his towns, and, with 
a little care, the staple of America might be drawn thither in spite of 
Boston. 

His affability and geuial nature won the citizens from the start ; at 



220 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

least such as were so fortunate as to come in personal contact with him, 
either officially or otherwise. On the day after the surrender, the 

ep ' " burgomasters and schepens met and transacted their ordinary busi- 
ness, as if nothing unusual had occurred. They afterwards indicated their 
good-will to the administration through a letter — drawn up by Cornells 
Steenwyck, and signed by each member of the board — in which appeared 
the following passage : " Nicolls is a wise and intelligent governor, under 
whose wings we hope to bloom and grow like the cedar on Lebanon." 

The official counselors of Governor Nicolls were Robert Needham, 
Thomas Delavall, Thomas Topping, and William Wells. Matthias 
Nicolls, a thoroughbred English lawyer, was appointed Secretary of the 
province. All these were from among the new-comers, except William 
Wells, who had settled previously at Southold, Long Island. Cornells 
Van Buyven, Stuyvesant's provincial Secretary, was appointed collector 
of the customs. He was called into counsel on many occasions, and 
rendered material aid to Nicolls. One of the schepens, Johannes Van 
Brugh, was also invited to the meetings of the council, and his opinions 
were treated with profound deference. He was a shipping merchant, doing 
a prosperous business. His wife was a daughter of Anetje Jans. They 
lived in a stone house near Hanover Square, in front of which several im- 
mense forest-trees cast their broad shadows over a handsome green, where 
the Indians used to camp, during their visits to the city, and where mar- 
ket-wagons were often left standing, while the horses rested and grazed 
in the cool shade. Mr. and Mrs. Van Brugh were the first of the Dutch 
residents who gave a dinner-party in honor of the new English governor. 

On the Sunday following the surrender, the English Episcopal service 
was celebrated for the first time in New York, by the chaplain of 
ep ' ' the English forces. It having been agreed in the capitulation 
that the Dutch should enjoy all their religious liberties and retain their 
own church edifice, it was very cordially arranged that the services of the 
Church of England should take place in the same sanctuary after the close 
of the usual morning worship. Meanwhile the city magistrates provided 
for the support of Dominies Megapolensis and Drisius, until the gov- 
ernor should make further arrangements. 

Fort Orange, and Esopus, although included in the capitulation, re- 
mained to be brought under the Duke's authority. As soon as the 
safety of the capital was fairly assured, Nicolls dispatched to the former 
point Colonel Cartwright and his company, armed with various orders 
and instructions. Colonel Cartwright was a typical Englishman, heavy, 
grave, often morose, overbearing, of a suspicious temperament, and an 
excellent hater of the Dutch. The two officers next in command were 



ALBANY. 221 

Captain John Manning and Captain Daniel Brodhead. Captain Maiming 
had formerly commanded a trading vessel between New Haven and New 
York, but was now in the military service Captain Brodhead, from an 
ancient family in Yorkshire, England, was a zealous loyalist, in high 
favor with the king. He was the common ancestor of the Brodhead 
family in this country, among whom in every generation have been men 
of culture and distinction, — the most widely known of them all, perhaps, 
being the late John Piomeyn Brodhead, the eminent scholar and historian 
of New York. 

Van Rensselaer was directed to obey Cartwright, and also to bring his 
title papers respecting Rensselaerswick to Nicolls for inspection. This 
was subsequently done, and a new patent was issued to the patroon by 
the Duke. Thomas Willett, and Thomas Breedon, ex-governor of Nova 
Scotia, accompanied the expedition by request, because they were accus- 
tomed to dealing with the savages, and it was esteemed of the first im- 
portance to secure the friendship which the Iroquois had cherished 
towards the Dutch. 

The military officers were received with courtesy by Dr. La Montagne 
and the magistrates of the little town, which was at once named Albany, 
after the Scotch title of the Duke of York. It was found that John De 
Decker, one of Stuyvesant's counselors and a signer of the articles of 
capitulation, had been actively engaged in trying to infuse the spirit of 
resistance into the people at the north, and he was banished from the 
province. Few changes were made in the civil government. The 
Mohawk and Seneca sachems appeared and signed with Cart- 
wright the first treaty between the Iroquois and the English ; and ( laptain 
Manning was left in command of the fort. 

On his return from Albany, Cartwright landed at Esopus, where he was 
warmly welcomed by "William Beekman, who was confirmed in 
his authority as sheriff. Thomas Chambers was also retained as ep ' 
commissary. The charge of the garrison was committed to Captain Brod- 
head. 

Nicolls was quick to see the advantage of influencing as many of the 
Dutch families as possible to remain in their present homes. By the 
articles of capitulation he had given them liberty to sell their lands and 
effects and to remove to Holland. But he resolved to ask the principal 
Dutch citizens to take the customary oath and become British subjects. 
He accordingly sent for Ex-Governor Stuyvesant, De Sille, Van Ruyven, 
Dominies Megapolensis and Drisius, and a few others, to meet him 
in the chamber of the common council, where the burgomasters and 
schepens were assembled, and there he addressed them on the subject. 



222 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

explaining that this new obligation did not involve any permanent 
renunciation of allegiance to the Dutch government. They 
demurred. Van Euyven argued that the people had been pro- 
nounced " free denizens " by the terms of the surrender, and no provision 
made for assuming a new allegiance. Van Cortlandt feared such a pro- 
ceeding would render the articles of capitulation null and void. After 
much debate, the meeting declined taking the oath, unless Nicolls should 
add to it, "conformable to the articles concluded on the surrender of 
this place." 

The subject was in agitation for several days. Finally, Nicolls said in 
writing, that " the articles of surrender " were " not in the least broken, or 
intended to be broken, by any words or expressions in the said 
' oath." This statement proved satisfactory, and, within the subse- 
quent five days, over two hundred and fifty residents of the city and 
adjacent country took the oath of allegiance to Charles II. and the Duke 
of York. Among these was Stuyvesant himself ; also Van Euyven, Van 
Brugh, Van Cortlandt, Van Rensselaer, Beekman, and the two Dutch 
Dominies. 

Tonneman, the sheriff, returned to Holland, and the city was called 

upon to elect his successor. The choice fell upon Allard Anthony, who 

was at once confirmed in office by the governor. About the 

same time a provost-marshal was appointed, to keep unruly 

soldiers from interfering with the citizens. 

Meanwhile, Sir Robert Carr had gone, with two vessels and a large 
armed force, to reduce the settlements on the Delaware. He found the 
Swedes manageable and the Dutch obstinate. Superiority in 
' numbers, however, secured a bloodless victory. It was then that 
the royal knight began to reveal his true character. He assumed au- 
thority independent of Nicolls, and claimed to be the sole disposer of 
affairs in that region. He shipped the Dutch soldiers to Virginia, to be 
sold as slaves. He imprisoned the commander Hinnoyssa, and appropri- 
ated his comfortable house and flourishing farm to his own use. He 
gave the stone dwelling, and a large tract of land belonging to Sheriff 
Van Sweringen, to his son Captain John Carr. He distributed the 
property of the other settlers as he saw fit. When an account of his 
high-handed proceedings reached the other commissioners, they were 
astonished beyond measure. They considered such conduct " presump- 
tuous and disgraceful." They peremptorily required his lordship's return 
to New York to attend to the further business of the commission, and 
when he did not make his appearance, Cartwright and Maverick deputed 
Nicolls to proceed to Delaware Bay and appoint such civil and military 



CONNECTICUT DIPLOMACY. 223 

officers there as his best judgment dictated. He was accompanied by 
Counselor Needham. He administered a severe rebuke to Carr and 
compelled him to disgorge much of his ill-gotten spoil. He regulated 
affairs as well as he was able, and appointed Captain John Can' as 
deputy-governor. 

Connecticut was all this while in deep distress. The patent of the 
king had extended her territory to the Pacific Ocean. But here was 
another patent of the king to his brother, comprising every inch of land 
west of the Connecticut River. It was a most extraordinary complica- 
tion. 

As for Long Island, the Duke's patent expressly included it by name; 
moreover, Winthrop, at Gravesend, just before the surrender of New 
York, had declared that the jurisdiction formerly exercised by Connecti- 
cut " ceased and became nidi." There seemed therefore to be little room 
for discussion in regard to that region, and it received the name of 
Yorkshire. 

But Hartford herself was included in the Duke's patent, to say noth- 
ing of republican New Haven, who had held her head so high, and 
stoutly refused to bend to Connecticut, because the charter of the latter 
had been (as was affirmed) surreptitiously obtained, " contrary to right- 
eousness, amity, and peace." Alas, when the choice was finally made 
between two great evils, Puritan dictation was judged to be far bet- 
ter than foreign annexation. The General Court of Connecticut held a 
mournful meeting in October. " We must try. to conciliate those 
royal commissioners," said Winthrop. It was voted to present 
them with five hundred bushels of corn and some fine horses. A com- 
mittee, consisting of Governor Winthrop, his son Fitz John, Matthew 
Allyn, Nathan Gold, and James Richards, was appointed to pay a visit 
of congratulation and to make the presentation. They were empowered 
to seize any opportunity which might offer, to settle a boundary line 
between the two patents. 

They reached New York late in November, and were graciously 
received by Nicolls, Cartwright, and Maverick. After much preamble, 
the delicate and perplexing question was fairly brought under 
discussion. The two patents were spread upon the table. Win- 
throp was reminded that, in obtaining the former, he had promised to 
submit to any alteration of boundaries which might lie made by the 
king's commissioners. The authority of the later patent could not be 
shaken. The Connecticut gentlemen pleaded that it should not be en- 
forced to its full extent, thus depriving Connecticut of her " very bowels 
and principal parts." To this Nicolls readily assented, for his own judg- 



224 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

meat condemned a course which would ouly result in the ruin of a 
thriving colony, and in lasting dishonor to the king. It was therefore 
agreed that the dividing line between Connecticut and New York should 
run about twenty miles from any part of the Hudson Eiver. To define 
the starting-point and the compass direction, the Connecticut gentlemen 
inserted a clause in the document by which the line was to be drawn 
from where the Mamaroneck Creek flows into the Sound, and north- 
northwest onward to the Massachusetts line. 

For the moment, this settlement seemed to be satisfactory to both 
parties. New Haven submitted to Connecticut and all went well. But 
Nicolls and his colleagues, being unfortunately ignorant of the geography 
of the country, were misled into the supposition that the line had been 
drawn twenty miles, when in reality it was only about ten miles, distant 
from the Hudson. It was an absurd error, which was never ratified by 
the Duke or the king, and proved the source of a long-continued and 
distracting controversy. 

While the forces of the expedition against New Netherland were still 
on the Atlantic, in June, James dismembered his American province and 
laid the foundation of another State. The treasurer of his house- 
11116 " hold was Lord Berkeley, who was also one of the Admiralty 
Board. He was a coarse, bold man, arbitrary and unscrupulous, and 
somewhat inclined to Catholicism. The treasurer of the Admiralty was 
Sir George Carteret, who had formerly been governor of the Channel 
Island of Jersey, where he received and entertained Charles, while 
Prince of Wales, and at which point he gallantly defeated the troops 
of Cromwell. He rode by the side of the king, when he entered Lon- 
don, at the Restoration, and was made chamberlain of the royal house- 
hold. Berkeley and Carteret were both members of the Council for 
Foreign Plantations, and had studied America with careful attention. 
They expressed a desire to purchase of the Duke a portion of his new 
territory ; and he, wishing to please two such devoted friends, accepted 
the small sum they offered, and conveyed to them by deed the 
' section now known as New Jersey, — a name bestowed in com- 
pliment to Carteret. James had very little idea of the magnitude or 
importance of this sale, and made no reservation of the right to govern. 
Thence the purchasers assumed absolute control, engendering controver- 
sies which were prolonged for many years. They published a constitu- 
tion for New Jersey, and appointed Philip Carteret, a cousin of Sir 
George's, governor of the province. 

Nicolls knew nothing of all this until the arrival of Governor Carteret 
off the coast of Virginia, when he immediately wrote to James, protest- 



ELI Z ABET HTO WN. 



22f 



ing against a movement so unexpected and so unwise. Of course, the 
protest came too late. Carteret reached New York in July, 1665, and 
received from Nicolls, according to the orders of the Duke which he 
brought with him, complete and undisputed possession of New Jersey. 
He landed on Jersey soil, at the head of a party of men, carrying 
a hoe on his shoulder, to indicate his intention of becoming a planter 
with them. He chose for the seat of government a charming spot near 
Newark Bay, where four famdies had already settled, and named it 
Elizabethtown, in honor of Lady Elizabeth, the wife of Sir George Car- 
teret. 

Nicolls found serious work on all sides of him. In order to win the 
Dutch, he copied or rather continued, with as little alteration as possible, 
the form of administration to which they had been accustomed. 
The burgomasters and schepens of the city, when their terms 1665 - 

° r • Feb. 2. 

of service expired, named their successors, as formerly. It was 
just twelve years to a day since Stuyvesant had conferred the powers 
which they exercised. The new officers were promptly continued by 

Nicolls, and announced 
S to the public after the 

Ji)/^ "\ usual ringing of the belL 

{7/sjffi%/ — ' They were Cornells Steen- 
y/ wyck and Oloff S. Van 

Cortlandt, b u r g< > m a s- 

Autograph of Johannes De Peyster. 

ters ; 1 imot heus G a I >r v , 
Johannes Van Brugh, Johannes De Peyster, Jacob Kip, and Jacques 
Cousseau, schepens ; and Allard Anthony, sheriff. 

It is noticeable that among these names are three of Huguenot origin. 
Johannes De Peyster descended from one of the families of the nobility 
who were driv- 
en from France 
in 1572 by the 
religious per- 
secutions o f 
Charles IX. He 
himself was 
born in Holland. 
He had been in 
New York for 








Silverware of the De Peysters. 

sixteen or more years. He was heir to considerable 

wealth, some of which was invested in ships which sailed to and from 

Europe and the West Indies. He brought to this country many valuable 

articles of furniture, and a large quantity of massive silver. Several 

15 



226 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

specimens of the latter are still in possession of the family, and are 
esteemed by the curious as masterpieces of art. He filled important 
positions in the city government and in the church, and was held in 
great respect. Nicolls said of him that he could make a better plat- 
form speech than any other man outside of Parliament, only that his 
knowledge of the English tongue was defective. He was the ancestor 
of the De Peyster family, which, from its intimate connection with the 
fortunes of New York, will occupy our attention in future chapters. 

Almost immediately, a controversy arose between the city magistrates 
and the governor and council. It having been stipulated that the city 
should provide quarters for such soldiers as coidd not be lodged iu the 
fort, an attempt was made to distribute them among the inhabitants, 
who were to be paid for their board. In many instances, they were 
turned out of respectable houses on account of disorderly conduct, and 
complaints arose on every side. The citizens generally preferred to pay 
an assessment rather than have any contact with them ; and the matter 
was finally arranged in this way, to the satisfaction of all concerned. 1 

In fact, Nicolls was a provincial autocrat. Under the Duke's despotic 
patent, he was the real maker of the laws, and the interpreter of them 
after they were made. With such tact and moderation, however, did he 
exercise his delegated powers, that his subordinates actually believed 
themselves to be sharers in the responsibilities of legislation. He erected 
a Court of Assizes, consisting of the governor and his council, which was 
the supreme tribunal of the province. After a time, Long Island, or 
Yorkshire, was divided into three districts, or ridings. The justices of 
the peace appointed by the governor were to hold, three times a year in 
each district, a Court of Sessions over which the governor or any coun- 
selor might preside ; and these justices, and the high-sheriff of each 
district, were to sit in the Court of Assizes once a year, — the last Thurs- 
day in September. But they had no representative character whatever. 

The anomalous condition of New York required special laws. Here 
was a conquered province, which had no charter, like the New England 
colonies ; which was not a royal domain, like Virginia ; which differed 
materially from the proprietary of Maryland ; and whose Dutch inhabi- 
tants, having received special privileges for the sake of peaceable posses- 

1 Among those assessed were Peter Stuyvesant, Frederick Philipse, Cornelis Van Puiyven, 
Qoff S. Van Cortlandt, Paulus Van der Grist, Johannes Van Brugh, Johannes De Peyster, 
Jacob Kip, Allard Anthony, Evert Duyckinok, Jan Evertsen Bout, Johannes De Witt, Hans 
lersted, Jacob Leisler, Paulus Richards, Simon Jansen Romeyn, Isaac Bedlow, Augustine 
leermans, JJgidius Luyck, and many others. Some were taxed four guilders per week, 
ome three, some two, and some one. 



NIGOLLS A LAW-MAKER. 227 

sion, were in many respects upon a better footing than the king's English 
subjects upon Long Island, which had been British territory before the 
capitulation. Nicolls had promised the Long-Islanders at Gravesend, 
before the surrender, that they should have a convention of delegates 
from their towns, to enact laws and establish civil offices. He accord- 
ingly proceeded, with the help of his council, to frame a code which 
should ultimately become the law of the whole province. He carefully 
studied the laws in actual operation in the several New England colo- 
nies ; and, for that purpose, obtained copies of those of Massachusetts 
and New Haven, the latter of which had been printed in London in 
1656. He wrote to Winthrop for a copy of the statutes of Connecticut; 
but they existed only in manuscript, and he did not obtain a transcript 
in time to make use of it. But, however much Nicolls may have bor- 
rowed from the experience and wisdom of his neighbors, he excelled 
them all in liberality in matters of conscience and religion. 

He called a convention at Hempstead on the 28th of February. It 
consisted of thirty-four delegates, two from each of the Long Island 
towns, and two from Westchester. These delegates were all noti- 
fied to bring with them whatever documents related to the bound- 
aries of their respective towns, and to invite the Indian sachems, whose 
presence might be necessary, to attend the meeting, as there was impor- 
tant business to be transacted, aside from the discussion and adoption 
of the new code of laws. 1 

Nicolls presided in person. At the opening of the exercises, he read the 
Duke's patent and his own commission. He then proceeded to the set- 
tlement of local boundaries, and other minor matters. The laws were 
delivered to the delegates for inspection. Scarcely a man among them 
was satisfied. They had expected immunities at least ecpial to those 

1 The delegates to this convention were as follows: Jacques Cortelyou and Mr. Fosse, 
from Xew Utrecht : Elbert Elbertsen and Roeloffe Martense, from Flatlands ; John Stryker 
and Hendrick Jorassen, from Flatbush : James Hubbard and John Bowne, from Gravesend ; 
John Stealman and Guisbert Tennis, from Bushwick ; Frederick Lubbersten and John Evert- 
sen, from Brooklyn ; Diehard Betts and John Coe, from Newtown : Elias Doughty and 
Richard Cornhill, from Flushing ; Thomas Benedict and Daniel Denton, from Jamaica ; 
John Hicks and Robert Jackson, from Hempstead : John Underbill and Matthias Harvey, 
from Oyster Bay ; Jonas Wood and John Ketchum, from Huntington ; Daniel Lane and 
Roger Barton, from Brookhaven ; Counselor William Wells and John Young, from South- 
old ; Counselor Thomas Topping and John Howell, from Southampton ; Thomas Baker and 
John Stratton, from Easthampton ; and Edward Jessop and John Quimby, from Westches- 
ter. Brodhead, II. 68. Journals New York Legislative (''mint il : Gen. Ent., I. 93-95. 
Wood, 87, 88. Thompson, I. 131, 132. Bolton, II. 180. Dunlap, II. App. XXXVII. 
Smith, I. 388. Hist. Mag., VIII. 211. Trumbull J/.V.S'., XX. 74. Col. Doc, II. 251 ; III. 
86, 88, 114 ; IV. 1154. Deeds, II. 1-15, 43, 48, 49. Chalmers, I. 577, 578, 598. 



228 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

enjoyed under the charter of Connecticut, with which they were perfectly 
familiar. The code prepared did not recognize the right of the people to 
choose their own magistrates or to have a voice in the levying of taxes. 
Consequently, they objected to some of its clauses, and proposed others. 
The discussion occupied ten days. Several amendments were accepted by 
Nicolls. But when the debate waxed warm, it was very promptly checked 
by his emphatic announcement that all civd appointments were solely in 
the hands of the governor, and that whoever wished any larger share in the 
government must go to the king for it. The delegates were thus assured 
that, instead of being popular representatives to make laws, they were 
merely agents to accept those already made for them. It was not a 
pleasant medicine, but it was gracefully swallowed. The code was 
adopted, and was generally known as " The Duke's Laws." The subjects 
were arranged in alphabetical order, and, about a century after, having 
become obsolete, the document was first printed as an historical curiosity. 
Among the provisions of this code were trials by jurymen ; arbitration 
in small matters ; a local court in each town, from which there was an 
appeal to the Court of Sessions ; overseers, and constables, and justices of 
the peace ; assessments, and enforcements of rates imposed. The tenure 
of real estate was to be from the Duke of York, involving new patents 
and a harvest of fees ; all conveyances were to be recorded in the Secretary's 
oftiee, in New York ; no purchase of the Indians was to be valid unless 
the original owner acknowledged the same before the governor ; no trad- 
ing with the Indians was to be allowed without a license; no Indian 
might pow-wow, or perform outward worship to the Devil, in any town in 
the province ; negro slavery was recognized, but no Christians were to be 
enslaved except those sentenced thereto by authority; death was the 
punishment for denying the true God, for murder, for treason, for kidnap- 
ping, for the striking of parents, and for some other offenses, — but witch- 
craft was not included in the list ; churches were to be built in every 
parish and supported, but no one particular Protestant denomination was 
to be favored above another ; no minister was to officiate but such as had 
In 'en regularly ordained; each minister was to preach every Sunday, on 
the 5th of November (the anniversary of the gunpowder treason), on 
the 30th of January (the anniversary of the violent death of Charles I.), 
on the 29th of May (the anniversary of the birth of Charles II. and 
of the Restoration), to pray for the king, cpieen, Duke of York, and 
the royal family, to baptize children, and to marry persons after legal 
publication; no person who professed Christianity was to be molested, 
fmed, or imprisoned for differing in opinion on matters of religion. 
There were numerous regulations respecting the administration of estates, 



THE FIRST RACE-COURSE ON LONG ISLAND. 229 

boundaries of towns, births and burials, surgeons and midwives, children 
and servants, weights and measures, and wrecks, and whales, and sailors, 
and orphans, and laborers, and brewers, and pipe-staves, and casks, and 
wolves ; and every town was to provide a pillory, a pair of stocks, and a 
pound. 

Nicolls, with great caution, delayed the enforcement of those laws in 
New York, Esopus, Albany, and the valley of the Hudson. And, in 
order to mollify the resentment of some of the Long Island delegates, he 
made several civil appointments upon the adjournment of the conven- 
tion. Counselor William Wells was commissioned the first high-sheriff 
of Long Island. John Underbill, of Oyster Lay, who had been so promi- 
nent hitherto in New Netherland affairs, was made high-constable and 
under-sheriff of the North district, or riding, and surveyor-general of the 
island. Daniel Denton, John Hicks, Jonas Wood, and James Hubbard 
were appointed justices. 

As an immediate result of Nicolls's attendance upon the convention, a 
race-course was established at Hempstead. The ground selected 

1 & Mayl 

was sixteen miles long and four wide. It was covered with fine 
grass, unmarred by stick or stone, and was for many years called "Salisbury 
Plains." Nicolls directed that a plate should be run for, every year, in 
order to improve the provincial Dutch, or Flemish, breed of horses, which 
was I Ntter adapted to slow labor than to fleetness or display. The race- 
course itself was named " Newmarket," after the famous English sporting- 
ground, and was subsequently a favorite annual resort for the governors of 
New York and the farmers of Long Island. 

Nicolls was ready to favor every important colonial enterprise. There 
bad been much talk about the culture of grapes. Paulus Eichards 
established a vineyard on Long'Island for the manufacture of wine. As 
be was the first planter of vines, it was cordially agreed by the adminis- 
tration that whoever during thirty years should plant vines in any part 
of the province should pay five shillings for each acre so planted to 
Richards, in acknowledgment of his pioneer operations. The produce of 
bis vines.it' sold at retail by any one house in the city, was to be free 
from impost for the above period of thirty years, and, if sold in gross, to 
be tree forever. 

While Nicolls was busily at work, attending to his own government, 
his colleagues, Cartwright, Maverick, ami Carr, were laboring with " refrac- 
tory" Massachusetts. It had been the object of the king to work such 
alteration in the Puritan charters as woidd give him the appointment of 
their governors, and of the commanders of their militia. Nothing, bow- 
ever, could be accomplished without the presence of Nicolls. He accord- 



230 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

ingly made the journey to Boston. It was of no use : Massachusetts was 
on her dignity. Boston treated the overtures of the royal commissioners 
with scorn. " Our time and labor is all lost upon men misled 
by the spirit of independency," said Nicolls. He hurried back 
to New York; and Cartwright, Maverick, and Carr went eastward to 
Maine. 

The first care of Nicolls, after his return, was to alter the city govern- 
ment, so as to make it conform to the customs of England. Wishing to 
do this in the most conciliatory manner, he selected Thomas Willett for 
the first mayor of New York. This gentleman had distinguished himself 
on the Albany expedition, and had so impressed Cartwright that the 
latter wrote to Nicolls from Boston, " I believe him a very honest and 
able gentleman, and that he will serve you both for a mayor and coun- 
selor." Willett was a Plymouth settler, but had been much in New Neth- 
erland, had property interests there, and for a series of years had had 
constant business relations with the Dutch merchants. He was better 
acquainted with the country, and with the language, manners, and cus- 
toms of the Dutch, than any other Englishman, and was popular among 
all classes. 

On the 12th of June appeared the governor's proclamation, which 
declared that the future government of the city should be admin- 
' istered by persons to be known by the name and style of Mayor, 
Aldermen, and Sheriff. A separate instrument, under the same date, or- 
dained that all the inhabitants of Manhattan Island "are and shall be 
forever accounted, nominated, and established as one body politic and 
corporate." The appointments were as follows : Thomas Willett, mayor ; 
Thomas Delavall, Oloff S. Van Cortlandt, Johannes Van Brugh, Cornells 
Van Buy ven, and John Lawrence, aldermen ; and Allard Anthony, sheriff, 
— three Englishmen and four Hollanders. 

They were to be duly installed in office on the 14th of June. When 
Nicolls entered the Council Chamber, he instantly perceived that 
' there was much dissatisfaction. As soon as the meeting was 
called to order, Van Cortlandt rose, and, with his silvery locks thrown 
back and his eyes flashing fire, stated distinctly his objections to the 
new regulation, which violated the sixteenth article of the capitulation. 
Nicolls replied elaborately, showing how the old officers had been con- 
tinued, and, in February, new ones elected who had been retained until 
now. Van Brugh sprang to his feet and argued at length the superior 
wisdom of the old Dutch system. Van Ruyven followed him, and, in 
great heat, opposed the principle of appointments by the governor. 
Nicolls was bland and deferential, but said he was under orders from the 



JOHN LAWRENCE. 231 

Duke of York to model the government of New York according to that 
of the cities of England. At the same time, he paid the gentlemen some 
happy compliments in respect to their recent administration of affairs. 
The ceremony of swearing in the new magistrates proceeded without 
interruption ; they were duly proclaimed, and shook hands with the 
polite governor before separating. 

John Lawrence was one of three brothers who settled on Long Island 
in the time of Charles I. He was a lineal descendant of Sir Robert 
Lawrence .anciently spelled Laurens), who owned in England, during the 
reign of Henry VII., thirty-four manors, the revenue of which amounted 
to six thousand pounds sterling per annum. These brothers, John, "Wil- 
liam, and Thomas, brought considerable property into the province, and 
all became extensive landholders. John accumulated a fortune in mer- 
cantile pursuits. "When he was first made an alderman, he had a city as 
well as a country residence, and owned more slaves than any one on Man- 
hattan Island. 

The democratic theory which has since been thoroughly instilled into 
the American mind, that all men (and perhaps women) are born free and 
equal, was then among the marvels of the future. An aristocratic senti- 
ment pervaded the little community, and was predominant fur more than 
a century after, which was much the same as in the contemporaneous 
cities of Europe. The line between master ami servant was rigidly drawn. 
There was no transition state, through which the latter might aspire, by the 
favor of fortune, to rise to the condition of the former. And the Dutch, 
with their great republican notions but half developed, were, if possible, 
more tenacious in the matter of social classification than the English. 

Nicholas Bayard, Stuyvesant's nephew, was appointed secretary of the 
common council, and was required to keep the records both in Dutch 
and English. He was a mere boy in years and personal appearance ; but, 
thanks to his accomplished mother, he had all the flexibility and self-pos- 
session of a veteran. He was industrious, and intelligent in the details 
of finance and city government. He wrote rapidly, and his penmanship 
•was the pride of the board. He had none of the forwardness common 
to youth, was courteously deferent to his elders, and remarkably grave 
and reticent. " He is never in the way, nor ever out of the way," said 
Willett, — a trait of character which may possibly account for his ex- 
traordinary career in after life. He was, however, excessively frivolous 
in some of his personal tastes, and, when off duty, devoted himself to 
dancing, horse-racing, and other diversions which greatly distressed his 
worthy friends. 

The schools, so far as they were established, were allowed to continue ; 



232 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

but Nicolls took no steps to increase their number, or, indeed, to promote 
education in any form. It was sufficient for him, he argued, to see thai 
the Christian ministers were supported. The Lutherans he permitted to 
build a church of their own and to send to Europe for a clergyman. 

But a storm was gathering across the water, which was to involve 
New York in fresh difficulties. When Charles II. and his ministers 
settled with convenient logic the question of seizing and appropriating a 
Dutch province, it was at the risk of war. The States-General had no 
suspicion of the treachery in progress until the whole facts were revealed. 
De Witt sought an explanation from Downing, who replied, with stinging 
sarcasm, that he knew of no such country as New Netherland except in 
tin- maps ; the territory had always belonged to the English ! Charles 
himself laughed heartily when the news reached him of the complete 
success of Nicolls, and remarked to Sir George Carteret, " I shall have a 
pleasant time with the Dutch ambassador, when he comes." 

The West India I 'ompany raved. They applied to the city of Am- 
sterdam and also to the States-General for ships of war and soldiers, to 
send at once for the reconquest of the province whose concerns they had 
si i fatally neglected. But the commercial monopoly had lost caste, and 
the popular cry was against lending it any assistance. 

A considerable time elapsed before Van Gogh succeeded in obtaining au- 
dience of the king. Charles put him off with one excuse after another, but 
finally admitted him into his presence. Van Gogh denounced the whole 
proceeding as a vile deception, equally opposed to honor and to justice, 
and as a palpable infraction of the treaty between the English and Dutch 
nations. Charles haughtily replied that New Netherland belonged to the 
English, who had merely allowed the Dutch to settle there, without con- 
ferring any authority upon the West India Company. The next day, 
Clarendon wrote to Downing to tell De Witt that "the king was no 
more accountable to the Dutch government for what he had done in 
America than he would be in case he should think fit to proceed against 
the Dutch who live in the fens of England or in any other part of his 
dominions." 

De Witt did not pause to demonstrate the transparent absurdity of the 
comparison, but peremptorily replied, " New Netherland must be restored." 
It was soon apparent to the Dutch statesmen, through the insolent man- 
ner of Downing, as well as the tone of Clarendon's correspondence, that 
no redress from England need be anticipated. Secret orders were there- 
fore given to De Euyter, who was with a squadron on the coast of Africa, 
" to reduce the English possessions in that region, and inflict by way of 
reprisal as much damage and injury as possible, either at Barbadoes, 



SECRET ORDERS. 233 

New Netherland, Newfoundland, or other islands or places under English 
obedience." Downing secured information in regard to these secret 
orders, through the aid of skillful spies, who took keys from De Witt's 
pocket while he was asleep in bed, and extracted papers from his desk 
which were returned within an hum-. 1 He immediately communicated the 
fact to his own government. Letters of reprisal were at once issued against 
the "ships, goods, and servants "of the United Provinces, and, without 
any previous notice, one hundred and thirty Dutch merchant vessels 
were seized in the English ports. 

The Dutch, who lived by commerce, were no longer backward aboul 
fighting. Every city offered men and money to the government. The East 
India Company suspended their herring and whale fisheries, and equipped 
twenty war-vessels. The West India Company were authorized to attack. 
conquer, and destroy the English everywhere, both in and out of Europe, 
on land and on water. Fourteen millions of guilders were voted for the 
expenses of the war. As De Ruyter was yet in the West Indies, Was- 
senaar of Opdam was made admiral of the fleet, with the younger 
Tromp, and other renowned commanders, under him. 

On the 4th of March, Charles issued a formal declaration of war 
against the United Provinces. The House of Commons at once voted 
two and one half millions of pounds sterling ; " a sum," says 
Macaulay, "exceeding that which had supported the fleets and 
armies of Cromwell, at the time when his power was the terror of all 
the world." The public mind of England had been for some time grow- 
ing discontented with the maladministration of affairs, and the immo- 
rality and extravagance of the court ; but all prior murmurs were mild 
compared with the cry of indignation which now burst forth. 

The Duke of York took command of the English fleet, and sent orders 
to Nicolls to put his province of New York in a posture of defense 
against the Dutch. Charles wrote to Nicolls himself, telling him of De 
Ruyter's expedition, and admonishing him to take all possible care to 
avoid a surprise. Clarendon added his word of warning, telling Nicolls 
that he must expect the Dutch to do him every possible mischief 
Nicolls and Philip Carteret were appointed commissioners in Admiralty, 
to dispose of all Dutch prizes in the American harbors. 

In May, De Euyter was actually on his way from the West Indies to 
Newfoundland. He intended to visit New York, and, had he done so, 
its concptest would have been easy. But, being short of provis- 
ions, he was obliged to turn homeward. 

1 Pepus, II. 186, 192. Dames, III. 27, 28. Barnage, I. 714. De Witt, IV. 413. Aits 
V. 93, 94. Col. Doc, II. 2S5- 288. III. 85. Purl. Hist., IV. 296- 303. Clarke's Janus II. 



234 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

As for the inhabitants of New York, they feared De Ruyter much less 
than they did the privateers who were prowling about m pursuit ot 

" M s wa! painfully embarrassed. He *~™; 
nliPs whatever from England since the surrender. The tort was weak 

"wadsets; and the soldie, were in — -£— ! 

^^s»- £*££»£ 

St opting ad Jss was « Lvel of oratory. He as»red the people 
that he should constrain no one 
to fight against his own nation. 
In asking aid in the matter of 
defense, be agreed to furnish 
palisades and wampum. Cornells 
Steenwyck responded. He was 
a stanch republican, of the old 
Belgian stock, intelligent and lib- 
eral-minded ; and he probably 
exercised a more healthful influ- 
ence over the public mind than 
any other man of his time. He 
said that he should always be a 
faithful subject, and would con- 
tribute according to his means. 
But he did not see how the 
Dutch residents could enlist on Portrait of steenwyck. 

tlip nublic works until their arms . 

I— to then, One and -*- — "* <*£ '— y 
Some said the town was strong enough as tt was. *»»™JZ. 

No direct re- 
sult was ob- 
tained. It 
was evident 
to Nicolls 
that he should 

Autograph of Steenwyck. be able tO 

command very little assistance from a community which would welcome 
the restoration of Dutch authority. 




^f*. $KtW^<30 



THE PLAGUE IN LONDON. 235 

He sent an elaborate statement of New York affairs to the king by 
Cartwright, who, quite discouraged with his unprofitable labors in Bos- 
ton, and in great physical torture with the gout, sailed in June for Lon- 
don. He was captured at sea by a Dutch privateer, who, having taken 
away all his papers, landed him in Spain. " It is for your health, sir," 
said the humorous sea-captain, as they parted company; "the mild 
southern climate always cures the gout." 

Before the breaking out of hostilities, France had endeavored to recon- 
cile the differences between England and the United Provinces. As the 
war progressed, Louis secretly sympathized with Charles, while at the 
same time he wrote to his minister at the Hague, that, from all he could 
learn, the rights of the Dutch were the best founded "It is a species 
of mockery, " he went on to say, ''to make believe that those who have 
built and peopled a city, without any one saying a word to hinder them, 
would have been tolerated as strangers in France or in England : and 
habitation, joined to long possession, are, in my judgment, two suffi- 
ciently g I titles." At the same time he advised that, since New Xeth- 

erlaud was already lost to the Dutch, it lie abandoned, for the sake of 
peace. De Witt declining any further overtures in that direction, Louis 
made propositions once more to Charles without avail, and then reluc- 
tantly fulfilled a promise of long standing to assist Holland. He came 
to this decision on the 20th of January, 1GGG. The next month, England 
declared war against France. 

In the mean time, a fierce conflict had raged. On the L3th of June, 
1665, a battle was fought off the coast of Suffolk, in which the ship of 
Admiral Opdam was blown up, and the Duke of York returned 

1 * June 13. 

m triumph to Loudon. An English medal was struck, bearing 
the words " Quatuor Maria, vindico " — I claim four seas. "When the 
news reached New York, the English residents held a grand jubilee over 
the personal safety of the Duke. But the bonfire which celebrated the 

victory in London glared over a doomed city. A pestilence brol at, 

surpassing in horror any that had visited the British Isles for three cen- 
turies. The appalled court fled from Whitehall The great city was 
desolated. "Within live months, more than one hundred thousand lives 
were suddenly ended The awful silence of the streets was only broken 
by the nightly round of the dead-cart. 

Naval defeat almost produced a revolution in Holland. The return of 
De Ruyter, however, again inspired confidence. Other expeditions were 
fitted out. De "Witt himself went with the troops, and soon came to a 
perfect understanding of sea affairs. In the effort to get the great clumsy 
vessels of the Dutch through the Zuyder Zee, he went out in a boat 



236 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

himself, sounding carefully, and by degrees so mastering the elements, 
that he may be said to have avenged in some sense his former indigni- 
ties by keeping his ships at sea long after the English fleet was obliged 
to put in. Several naval engagements occurred, and some frigates were 
disabled on both sides ; the English were sullen and disappointed, and 
the Dutch encouraged and hopeful. 

Thus departed the year 1665. Parliament still voted supplies ; but 
the English nation was but a step removed from anarchy Eents had 
fallen until the income of every landed proprietor was so 
diminished that a wail of agricultural distress arose from all 
the shires in the kingdom. The gentry paid their accumulated taxes, 
breathing curses upon the king's favorites and upon the ignominious 
war. Algernon Sidney went to the Hague and urged De "Witt to invade 
England, promising him aid ; a strong party in that country having con- 
ceived the idea of re-establishing the Commonwealth. This proposition 
was declined by the great statesman. But, as the spring advanced, another 
naval contest, occupying four days, took place at the mouth of the 
Instead of the Duke of York, Prince Rupert and the 
Duke of Albermarle commanded the English fleet. De Witt went with 
his generals, and the chain shot which he is said to have invented was 
at this time first introduced, and so cut to pieces the rigging of the 
English that the Dutch came off victorious. Before the end of the sum- 
mer, the fleets engaged again to the advantage of the English, 
and De Witt swore that he would never sheathe his sword until 
he had had his revenge. 

A terrible conflagration completed England's miseries for 1666. Five 
sixths of the proud city of London were laid in ashes. The summer had 
been the driest known for years. The citizens who had been driven 
away by the plague were returning ; the merchants counted upon peace 
before winter, and were preparing to go to the Continental markets. On 
the 2d of September, a fire broke out which lasted four days 

Sept. 2. , . . , 

and nights, and consumed every house, church, and hall in ninety 
parishes between the Tower and Temple Bar. 

The year 1667 opened gloomily. Calamity followed calamity. The 
incapacity of the English statesmen who were in favor with the 
king became more and more apparent. All schemes of an offen- 
sive war were abandoned. Presently it appeared that even a defensive 
war was too much for the administration. The ships became leaky and 
the dock-yards were unguarded. De Witt was promptly informed, and 
sent De Ruyter up the Thames to Chatham, where he burned all the finest 
vessels in the English navy, sending terror into every heart in the realm. 



EM: LA ND'S DISG A'. 1 ( 'E. 237 

Charles was compared to Nero, who sang while Rome was burning. At 
that very moment, he was surrounded by the ladies of his court, and 
amused himself by hunting a moth about the supper-room. 

The English regarded De Witt's success in the light of a national dis- 
grace. The States-General haughtily dictated the terms of a treaty which 
was soon after signed at Breda. Singularly enough, they surren- 
dered New Netherland, the very occasion and prize of this long 
contention, for Poleron, Surinam, and Nova Scotia. The West India 
Company shareholders and the regents of Amsterdam took exceptions ; but 
otherwise there was general satisfaction in the United Provinces. The 
same day another treaty was signed between France and England, by 
which Acadia was restored to Louis. Bells rang in London, but there 
was little music in them. No bonfires expressed the national joy, since 
bonfires were costly, and there was no joy to express. Public sentiment 
both in and out of Parliament set stronger than ever against the king. 
What was New York, that it should have been accepted in exchange for 
such profitable places as Poleron, Surinam, and Nova Scotia 1 Massa- 
chusetts shared largely in the same bitter feeling. Popular indignation 
was aimed chiefly at Clarendon, and Charles adroitly shielded himself 
behind his austere and faithful minister. England must have a victim ; 
and Charles, who had really grown weary of Clarendon's imposing ways, 
deprived him of the Great Seal at the very moment when he was affixing 
it to the proclamation of the Peace of Breda. " I must assuage the anger 
of Parliament," was his kingly excuse. 

Innocent New York, the cause of all these disturbances, was becoming 
more interesting abroad than within herown borders. Improvements were 
at a dead stand. Her merchants were hampered in all their business oper- 
ations by sea and by land. Her ships were seized by Dutch and French 
privateers almost within sight of her harbor. Her trade was suspended. 

Nicolls was compelled to use his own private means for the public g 1 

There was little direct intercourse with England. Necessaries of all kinds 
grew very scarce. When, after a long captivity, Cartwright reached Lon- 
don, and explained the condition of affairs in the colonies, the Duke sent 
to New York two ships, laden with supplies. He wrote to Nicolls a letter 
full of commendation. The king did the same, inclosing a present of 
two hundred pounds. At the same time, he ordered a strict guard kept 
against the French in Canada. 

This caution had been anticipated. And the meager help came at a 
moment when Nicolls was well-nigh disheartened in his herculean efforts 
to harmonize the various elements of discord. In the summer of 1665, a 
terrible war had broken out between two tribes of Indians at the North. 



238 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Two Dutch farmers who lived out in the clearings were killed. Mayor 
Willett, of New York, went to confer with the Albany magistrates on the 
subject. Two Indians were arrested for the murder, and, by order of the 
governor, one of them was hanged and the other sent in chains to Fort 
.lames. A great effort was then made to secure peace between the two 
contending tribes. Nicolls went to Albany, where he was met by Gov- 
ernor Winthrop, of Connecticut, and the arduous work was accomplished. 
Captain John Baker was left in command of Fort Albany, with nine 
cannon, and a garrison of sixty men. 

On his return, Nicolls visited Esopus, where the towns-people and the 
soldiers were in a quarrel. His presence, and his discreet counsels, al- 
layed the feverish temper of all parties. Brodhead, as the chief officer of 
militia, was instructed " to keep constant guard, cause the village author- 
ities to be respected, prevent his soldiers from abusing the Indians, avoid 
harshness of words on all occasions, seek rather to reconcile differences 
than to be the head of a party, and abstain from prejudice against the 
I »utch, who," continued Nicolls, " if well treated, are not as malicious as 
some will seek to persuade you that they are." He also executed an 
important treaty with the Esopus Indians, by which he secured for the 
Duke a large tract of land to the West, to offer as an inducement to 
planters who might wish to settle in the province. 

At the Court of Assizes, held in New York in September of the same 
year, the sachems of the Long Island Indians appeared, and agreed to 
submit to the government. Shortly after, David Gardiner, in com- 
pliance with the requirement of the code, brought to Nicolls his 
grant of the Isle of Wight, or Gardiner's Island (which had been originally 
made to his father, in lt>40, by the agent of the Earl of Stirling), ami 
received a new patent of confirmation. An interesting criminal case was 
also decided at this first Court of Assizes. Ealph Hall and his wife Mary 
were arraigned by the magistrates of Brookhaven for murder by means of 
witchcraft. It was claimed that two deaths had been caused by their 
"detestable ami wicked aits." Twelve jurymen, one of whom was the 
afterwards conspicuous Jacob Leisler, rendered a verdict to the effeel 
that there were suspicious circumstances in regard to the woman, but 
not of sufficient importance to warrant the forfeit of her life; the man 
was acquitted. The court sentenced Hall to give a recognizance for his 
wile's appearance from sessions to sessions, and guarantee the good 
behavior of both while they remained under the government. 1 

The owners of Shelter Island, Thomas Middleton, and Constant and 

1 One of the last acts of Nicolls, just before he left New York, was to release Hall and his 
wife from their bonds. 



THE MANORS OF GARDINER AND .SHELTER ISLANDS. 239 

Nathaniel Sylvester, soon followed the example of Gardiner, and obtained 
continuation of their title. In consideration of seventy-five pounds of 
beef and seventy-five pounds of pork towards the support of the New 
York government, they were released forever from taxes and military duty. 
A patent was issued to the Sylvesters, erecting the island into a manor 
with all the privileges belonging. 1 

The Long Island inhabitants chafed under what they styled "arbitrary 
power." They were outspoken and aggressive, and gave Nicolls more 
trouble than all the Dutch population together. They clamored for a 
General Court, after the manner of New England. In many instances, 
they openly defied the Code of Laws. The danger of rebellion was immi- 
nent. The governor went among them, but with less success than he 
had reason to anticipate. Finally, adopting a vigorous course, he made it 
an indictable offense to reproach or defame any one acting for the govern- 
ment, and arrested, tried, and severely punished several persons. 2 He 
then declared that every land patent in the province which was not im- 
mediately renewed should be regarded as invalid; the quitrents and lees 
being actually necessary for the support of the government. In New 
York, and in the Dutch towns, the payments for new patents were made 
easy. Van Rensselaer created quite an excitement by claiming Albany 
as a part of Rensselaerswick. Nicolls wrote to him that the question 
must be settled by the Duke of York, but added, " Do not grasp at too 
much authority ; if you imagine there is pleasure in titles of government, 
I wish that I could serve your appetite, for I have found only trouble." 

The natural consequences of the war were apparent on every hand. 
There were altercations between English and Dutch laborers ; the officers 
of the garrisons were not always prudent; and the common soldiers were 
given to roguery. On one occasion, three of the New York garrison were 
convicted of having stolen goods from a gentleman's cellar, and it was 
determined that one of them must die. The fatal lot fell to Thomas 

1 The islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket were included by name in the Duke's 
patent. An independent government had been exercised over them by Thomas Mayhew and 
his son, who purchased them of Lord Stirling ; but, in January, 1668, Nicolls issued ;i ~y : .d 
commission to Mayhew, thus settling the point of jurisdiction beyond question. Fisher's 
Island, one of the gems of the Sound, a few miles from Stonington — an island nine miles 
long and one mile broad — had been granted, in 1640, by Massachusetts to John Winthrop, 
but as it was included in the Duke's patent, Winthrop was obliged to apply to Nieolls foi a 
confirmation of his title, and it was erected into a manor, and made independent of any 
jurisdiction whatever. It now forms a part of Suffolk County. 

2 Arthur Smith, of Brookhaven, was convicted of saying " the king was none of his king, 
and the governor none of his governor," and sentenced to the stocks. William Lawrence, oi 
Flushing, was fined and compelled to make public acknowledgment for a similar remark. 
Court of Assizes, II. 82 -94. 



240 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Weall. On the evening before the day fixed for the execution, some of 
the women of the city besought the governor to spare the culprit's life. 
All the privates in the garrison joined in a petition to the same effect ; 
and, yielding to the influence, Nicolls drew up the soldiers on parade and 
in a characteristic speech pronounced pardon. 

A complication of difficulties between the French and the Indians, 
between the different tribes of Indians, and between the Jesuits, the 
Indians, and the New York colonists, to the north, kept Nicolls in 
continual anxiety. He had reason to apprehend mischief from the 
French ; the Mohawks, with all their pledges, were very uncertain ; the 
New England colonies were not in a condition to render efficient aid 
in an emergency ; and the prospect was as dismal as could well be 
imagined. 

Nicolls was so oppressed with financial embarrassments that he wrote 
to both the Duke and the king, begging to be relieved from " a govern- 
ment which kept him more busy than any of his former positions, and 
had drawn from his purse every dollar he possessed." His detailed 
account of the condition of New York affairs was most pitiful. " Such 
is our strait," he said, " that not one soldier to this day since I brought 
them out of England has been in a pair of sheets, or upon any sort of 
bed but canvas and straw." 

A response came tardily. The Duke consented to the return of 
Nicolls ; but it was not until after the Peace of Breda had set his mind 
1668. at rest concerning the immediate possibility of losing his prov- 
Jan. l. ince. The news of the treaty came with the same ship which 
brought the recall of the weary governor. Peace was a charmed word 
in Dutch as well as English ears ; politics, feuds, and bickerings were 
forgotten, in the universal gladness; vague, wearing, corroding apprehen- 
sion was succeeded by intense relief; business might again be resumed. 

Presently came the official announcement of Nicolls's intended depart- 
ure, and there was universal sorrow. He had made himself exceedingly 
popular. The leading Dutch residents were, if possible, more attached to 
him than his English colleagues ; but all were united in one deep feeling 
of regret that he must leave the country. 




COLONEL FRANCIS LOVELACE. 241 



CHAPTER XIV. 

1668 - 1673. 
COLONEL FRANCIS LOVELACE. 

Colonel Francis Lovelace. — Nicolls and Lovelace. — Cornelis Steenwyck's House. 
— The City Livery. — Nicholas Bayard. — Fever and Ague in New York. — 
The End of Commercial Intercourse with Holland. — Louis XIV. France. — 
The Trifle Alliance. — Social Visiting in New York in 1669. — A Prosperous 
Era. — The Dutch Reformed Church. — The Sabbath in New York two hun- 
dred Years ago. — Dress of the Period. — The Lutheran Minister. — Witch- 
craft. — The First Exchange. — Rebellion on Long Island. — The Purc.iase 
of Staten Island. — Charles II. and Louis XIV. — The Prince of Orange. — 
Assassination of the De Witts. — War between England and Holland.— 
Fierce Battles in Europe. — The Death of Colonel Nicolls. — The First 
Post between New York and Boston. — Lovelace in Hartford. — The Dutch 
Squadron in New York Bay. — Capture of New York by the Dutch. — New 
Orange. 

COLONEL FRANCIS LOVELACE was appointed to succeed Nicolls. 
He was the son of Baron Richard Lovelace of Hurley. The ances- 
tral home of the family was some thirty miles from London, on the 
Berkshire side of the Thames; a great imposing country mansion, which 
was standing until recently, with spacious grounds and terraced 
gardens, covering the site of the ancient Benedictine monastery, 
from which it was named " Lady Place." 

Colonel Lovelace was one of the gentlemen of that focus of politi- 
cal intrigue and fashionable gayety the Court of Charles II. He had 
been one of the supporters of the royal cause, — zealous, even to the 
point of incurring imprisonment in the tower by Cromwell, on a charge 
of high treason. This only increased his favor with the king at the 
Restoration, and he was made one of the knights of the "Royal Oak," 
an order instituted as a reward for the faithful. He was a handsome, 
agreeable, polished man of the world, — upright, generous, and amiable. 
But he lacked energy, and that discrimination which the successful con- 
duct of government requires at every step. He had a fine perception 

16 



242 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

of probabilities, and a profound conviction of tbe future destiny of New 
York. At tbe same time, be was of tbe narrow type of mind, inclined 
to move along a single line of tbougbt, like a railway in its grooves, 
and be possessed very little of tbat subtle sagacity wbicb brings conflict- 
ing elements into one barmonious wbole. 

He bad visited Long Island in 1$50, under a pass from Cromwell's 
Council of State, and had gone thence to Virginia. But bis knowledge 
of America was limited, and when he reached New York, in the spring of 
1668, he was without any valuable preparation for the work before him. 
The Duke wrote, requesting Nicolls to remain a few months longer, 
that Lovelace might have an opportunity to study affairs. The first 
time the latter presided in the Admiralty Court, Nicolls sat by his side. 
The two governors journeyed together to various parts of the province. 
They spent one week in Albany, were feted by Van Eensselaer at his 
manor-house, and smoked the pipe of peace with the Mohawk sachems. 
On their return, they stopped two days in Esopus, and were the guests 
of William Beekman. They looked into military and other matters, and 
visiting Thomas Chambers at his manor, "passed an evening there of 
great hilarity." They traveled over Long Island on horseback, stopping 
at all the principal towns. They went to Hartford, and were entertained 
by Governor Winthrop in bis most hospitable and courtly style ; and 
they spent one day with the dignitaries of New Haven. 

As the time drew near for Nicolls's departure, the most sincere sorrow 
was manifested on all sides. He who had come among the people as a 
conqueror was regarded as a loyal and trustworthy friend. He bad ruled 
with such discretion and moderation, that even they who had disliked 
his orders had come to love the man that had taken so much pains to 
avoid the unnecessary wounding of their prejudices. Maverick wrote to 
Lord Arlington, " he has kept persons of different judgements and of 
diverse nations in peace and quietness during a time when a great part 
of the world was in wars; and as to the Indians, they were never 
brought into such peacable posture and faire correspondence as they 
now are." Every one delighted in doing him honor. The city corpora- 
tion gave him a notable dinner, the scene of which was the great square 
stone house of Cornells Steeuwyck, the mayor, on the corner of White- 
hall and Bridge Streets. A slight glimpse of the inside of this antique 
dwelling may be obtained from the inventory of its furniture, found 
among tbe old records, one fragment of which is as follows : " Handsome 
carpets, marble tables, velvet chairs with fine silver lace, Bussia leather 
chairs, French nutwood book-case, Alabaster images, tall clock, flowered 
tabby chimney-cloth, tapestry work for cushions, muslin curtains in front 



THE CITY LIVERY. 



>43 




parlor and flowered tabby curtains in drawing-room, eleven paintings by 
old Antwerp masters, etc." 

The leading families in the province were represented among the 
guests on this memorable 
occasion. Lovelace wrote 
in a private letter to the 
king, " I find some of these 
people have the breeding 
of courts, and I cannot 
conceive how such is ac- 
quired." On the 28th of 
August, Nicolls took his 
final farewell, escorted to 
the vessel in which he was 
to embark for Europe by 

the largest procession Of Steenwyck's House. 

the military and citizens which had as yet been seen on Manhattan Island. 

Cornelia Steenwyck occupied the mayor's chair three years. It was 
during this period that Thomas Delavall was sent to England by Love- 
lace on matters of business, and, upon his return, brought from the 
Duke of York a present of seven gowns for the aldermen, to be worn 
upon state occasions, and a silver mace to lie carried by a mace-bearer, 
at the head of the procession of city magistrates ; also, an English seal 
for the province of New York. A city livery was from that time worn 
by beadles and other subordinate officers, the colors being blue tipped 
with orange. Steenwyck was one of the governor's counselors, and at 
one time was appointed governor pro tan., during the temporary absence 
of Lovelace. He was a man of sterling character, and filled his various 
public positions with dignity and honor. 

Lovelace made no attempt to disturb the policy by which Nicolls had 
administered the government to such general satisfaction. Among his 
counselors at various dates were, besides Steenwyck, Thomas Willett and 
Thomas Delavall, former mayors of the city ; Ralph Whitfield, Isaac 
Bedlow, Francis Boone, and Cornells Van Euyven, aldermen ; Captain 
John Manning, the city sheriff; Matthias Nicolls, the provincial secre- 
tary ; and Dudley Lovelace and Thomas Lovelace, the governor's younger 
brothers. But he found his field of labor hedged in by many thorns. 
Conflicting claims about lands stirred up quarrels in every part of the 
province. He had no sooner quelled one than another broke out. The 
difficulties of the situation were greatly aggravated by the absence of 
any uniform nationality. Some of the habits and customs were Dutch, 



244 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

some French, some English, some Christian, and some heathen. The 
lower classes were intemperate, unruly, and sometimes shockingly 
profane; and the more respectable and religious inhabitants were con- 
stantly entering complaints against them. Extremes of evil and good 
were singularly linked together, and the barbarous punishments which 
English usage warranted seemed the only safeguard against anarchy. 

Nicholas Bayard, who had developed a remarkable talent for mathe- 
matics, was appointed surveyor of the province. He was noted, besides, 
for his varied attainments and for a ready wit, which enabled him to ren- 
der important service to Lovelace, whom he usually accompanied when 
the governor was compelled to make personal investigations into the 
boundaries of farms and manors. 

One of the great wants which sorely oppressed Lovelace was that of a 
printing-press. He sent to Cambridge for a printer, but could not obtain 
one. There was no restriction in this respect on the part of the Duke of 
York, as has generally been supposed. It was not until 1686 that James, 
as king of England, restrained the liberty of printing in New York. 
The immediate cause of Lovelace's enlightened effort was the desire to 
publish a catechism, which, together with a few chapters of the Bible, 
the Eev. Thomas James, the first minister of Easthampton, had trans- 
lated, under the auspices of Nicolls, for the use of the Indians. 1 

Fever and ague prevailed in the city to such an extent during the 
autumn of this year, that it was regarded as a serious epidemic, 
' and the governor proclaimed the 21st of November as a day of 
fasting, humiliation, and prayer on this account. 

New Jersey, which under the rule of Philip Carteret had now attained 
the age of three years, was a constant source of annoyance to New York. 
Nicolls, when he reached London, explained to the Duke that his grant 
to Berkeley and Carteret had not only deprived him of a vast tract of his 
very best land, but ceded away some promising Dutch villages within 
three or four miles of the metropolis. About the same time, Maverick 
wrote to the Duke in a mournful strain, deprecating the worthlessuess of 
the greater portion of that part of the patent which he still retained. 
He said, " Long Island is very poor and inconsiderable, and, besides the 
city of New York, there are but two Dutch towns of any importance, 
Esopus and Albany. I suppose it was not thought that Lord Berkeley 
would come so near, nor the inconvenience of his doing so considered." 
The Duke grew uneasy, and attempted to negotiate an exchange with 

1 Brodhead, II. 145. Mass. Hist. Coll., XXXVII. 485. Thomas's History of Printing, 
I. 275 ; II. 90, 286. Dunlap, I. 126. Thompson, I. 317. Wood, 41. Col. Doc, III. 216 - 219, 
331-334, 375. 



END OF COMMERCIAL INTERCOURSE WITH HOLLAND. 245 

Berkeley and Carteret for some lands ou the Delaware; but the arrange- 
ment fell through, owing undoubtedly to Lord Baltimore's claim to the 
west side of the Delaware. Staten Island, however, was "adjudged to 
belong to New York." 

Meanwhile the Lords of Trade complained that the English merchants 
were jealous concerning the business that was lost to them by the continu- 
ance of the old commercial intercourse between New York and Holland. 
They claimed that it was contrary to the spirit of the Navigation Act, 
and that the sixth and seventh articles of the capitulation had reference 
only to the first six months after the surrender. The king's promise to 
Stuyvesant had induced Van Cortlandt, Cousseau, ami some others to 
unite in ordering one large ship from Holland to New York. Another 
was upon the eve of sailing, when Sir William Temple, who had suc- 
ceeded Downing as minister to the Hague, was diverted to notify inter- 
ested parties that all passes granted under the order of 23d October, 
1667, viz. that " three Dutch ships " might " freely trade with New York 
for the space of seven years," were henceforth recalled and annulled. 
When Nicolls heard of this order, he hastened to Whitehall and, in 

a personal interview with the kinu,' obtained permission for the 

, . , , .,i,- Dec - n - 

vessel just prepared to make one voyage. Shortly after, private 

letters from New York so plainly revealed the grievous disappointment 
of some of the merchants, who, relying upon the pledge of Charles, 
had invested heavily, that this able and justice-loving ex-governor set 
himself energetically at work and with much difficulty obtained 1669. 
an order in council for the sailing of one more merchant vessel Feb. 24. 
from Holland to New York. This was announced as positively the last 
Dutch ship which should ever "come on that account " to Manhattan. 

The English statesmen had long been watching with dismay the steady 
growth of Fiance. The personal qualities of the French king added 
greatly to the power and importance of that realm. No sovereign ever 
sat upon a throne with more dignity and grace. He was his own prime 
minister, and performed the duties of that office with wisdom and firm- 
ness the more remarkable from the fact that from his cradle he hail been 
surrounded with fawning flatterers. He was as unprincipled as Charles 
II., but by no means as indolent. He was a Roman Catholic, but it was 
not until a later date that, through austere devotion, he gave his court 
the aspect of a monastery. His transactions with foreign powers were 
characterized by some generosity, but no justice. His territory was large, 
compact, fertile, well placed both for attack and defense, situated in a 
good climate, and inhabited by a brave, active, ami ingenious people, who 
were implicitly subservient to the control of a single mind. His revenues 



246 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

far exceeded those of any other potentate. His army was excellently 
disciplined, and commanded by the most noted of living generals. France 
was, just then, beyond all doubt, the greatest power in Europe and stood 
like a perpetual menace to the rest of the world. It must be remembered 
that the Empire of Russia, now so powerful, was then as entirely out of 
the system of European politics as Abyssinia or Siam ; that the house of 
Brandenburg was then hardly more important than the house of Saxony; 
and that the Republic of the United States had not even begun to exist. 

Spain had been, for many years, on the decline ; and France, pressing 
upon her, was in the full career of conquest. The United Provinces, 
prosperous and rich as they then were, saw with anxiety that they were 
no match for the power of so great, ambitious, and unscrupulous a 
monarch as Louis XIV., should he choose to extend his frontiers. Little 
help could be expected from England in such an emergency, since her 
policy had been devoid <>f wisdom and spirit from the time of the Resto- 
ration. It was not easy to devise an expedient to avert the danger. 

Two nations were suddenly amazed and delighted. Sir William Tem- 
ple, one of the most expert diplomatists, as well as one of the most pleas- 
ing writers, of the age, had been, for some time, representing to Charles, 
that it was both advisable and practicable to enter into engagements with 
the States-General, for the purpose of checking the progress of France. 
For a time his suggestions had been slighted ; but the increasing ill-humor 
of Parliament induced the king to try a temporary expedient for cpiieting 
discontent winch might become serious. Hence Sir William was com- 
missioned to negotiate an alliance with the Dutch Republic. He soon 
came to an understanding with John De Witt. Sweden, which, small as 
were her resources, had been raised by the genius of Gustavus Adolphus 
to a high rank among European powers, was induced to join with Eng- 
land and the States ; and thus was formed the famous coalition known 
as the "Triple Alliance." Louis was angry; but he did not think it 
politic to draw upon himself the hostility of such a confederacy, in 
addition to that of Spain. He consented, therefore, to relincpiish a large 
portion of the territory which his armies had occupied, and to treat with 
Spain on reasonable terms. Peace was restored to Europe, and the Eng- 
lish government, lately an object of general contempt, was restored to the 
respect of its neighbors. The English people were specially gratified at 
this, for the nation was now leagued with a republican government that 
was Presbyterian in religion, against an arbitrary prince of the Roman 
Catholic Church. " It was the masterpiece of King Charles's life," said 
Burnet, " and, if he had stuck to it, it would have been both the strength 
and glory of his reign." 



A PROSPEROUS ERA IX XEW YORK. 



247 



The news produced intense satisfaction in New York. The English 
anil the Dutch inhabitants became better friends than ever. There was 
much social visiting during the winter of 1668-69. The formal enter- 
tainments were not more than rive or six in number, but a club was estab- 
lished, comprising the more notable of the Dutch, English, and French 
families, who met twice a week, at one another's houses in rotation, 
coming together about six in the evening and separating at nine o'clock 
The refreshments were simple, consisting chiefly of wines and brandies. 
— " not compounded and adulterated 
as in England," wrote Maverick, — 
and they were always served in 
a silver tankard. These gatherings 
were productive of great good feel- 
ing. Lovelace was generally present 
and rendered himself exceedingly 
agreeable. To those who would share 
in any considerable degree the advan- 
tages of this coterie, familiarity with 
three languages — English, Dutch, 
and French — was almost indispen- 
sable. Indeed, education was held 
in such high esteem, that the difficul- 
ties of obtaining it were overcome by 
the employment of private tutors in 
all the wealthy families. 

The earliest poet in Xew York was Jacob Steendam. A poem which 
appeared in 1659," The Complaint of New Amsterdam to her Mother" was 
from his pen; also " Th< Praia of New Netherland" which was published 
in a small quarto form in 1661. He wrote a variety of verse, some of 
which was distinguished by meat elegance. He indulged in quaint con- 
ceits and rhymes, and evinced oftentimes a strong religious feeling. The 
action of his poems was usually taken from the Scriptures or classical 
mythology. A few fragments of poetry from the pen of Hun. Nicasius 
De Sille have been handed down to us from the same remote period ; and 
a little volume of poems written at a later date by Dominie Selyns is 
the key to a treasure of genius and culture. 

A prosperous era was dawning upon Xew York. Several Bostonians 
removed thither and invested largely in real estate. One man bought 
five houses, which had just been erected on Broadway. Business of all 
kinds increased. Nine or ten vessels were in port at one time, with 
cargoes of tobacco from Virginia. Large quantities of wheat were shipped 




Portrait of Steenda 



248 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

to Boston. A fishing hank was discovered two or three leagues from 
Sandy Hook, on which, in a few hours, some twelve hundred " excellent 
good cod " were taken. More than twenty whales were caught during 
the spring at the east end of Long Island, and several in New York 
Bay. Lovelace, co-operating with some of the merchants, built a strong 
and handsome vessel called the " Good Fame" which was sent to Virginia 
and subsequently to England. A smaller aud less costly ship was 
launched about the same time at Gravesend. Some gentlemen, who 
arrived at this time from Bermuda and Barbadoes, were so much pleased 
with the prospect, that they bought houses and plantations. Nicolls ob- 
tained from the Duke of York the gift of a snug house on Broadway for 
Maverick, who complained that he had never received the value of a 
sixpence (one horse excepted) for his services to the government. 

Daniel Denton describes New York at that date as " built mostly of 
brick and stone, and covered with red and black tile ; and the land 
being high, it gives at a distance a pleasing aspect to beholders." The 
king's cosmographer, John Ogilby, more elaborately pictures it, as " placed 
upon the neck of the island looking toward the sea"; and as "com- 
pact and oval, with fair streets and several good houses ; — the rest are 
built much after the manner of Holland, to the number of about four 
hundred ; upon one side of the town is James'-fort, capable to lodge 
three hunched soldiers ; it hath forty pieces of cannon mounted ; it is 
always furnished with arms and ammunition against accidents, and is 
well accommodated with a spring of fresh water ; the church rises from 
the fort with a lofty double roof between which a square tower looms up : 
on one side of the church is the prison and on the other side the govern- 
or's house ; at the water-side stand the gallows and the whipping-post." 

A glowing tribute was paid to Hell Gate, which was represented as 
sending forth such a hideous roaring as to deter any stranger from 
attempting to pass it without a pilot, and was therefore an absolute 
defense against any hostile approach from that direction. Governor's 
Island had been beautified ami rendered attractive through the making 
of a garden and the planting of fruit trees. Long Island, although so 
recently pronounced by Maverick " poor and inconsiderable," was de- 
scribed by Denton, whose home was in Jamaica, as almost a paradise. 
Crops were plentiful ; trout and other delicious fish abounded in the 
crystal streams; fruits grew spontaneously, especially strawberries, of 
which he says, "they are in such abundance in June that the fields and 
woods are dyed red." The vast, smooth plains encouraged the breeding 
of swift horses. Lovelace ordered that trials of speed at the race-course 
established by Nicolls should take place every May. A subscription-list 



THE DUTCH REFORMED CHURCH. 249 

was filled out by those who were disposed to enter horses for a crown 
of silver, or its value in good wheat. The swiftest horse was rewarded 
with a silver cup. 

The clergymen of the Reformed Dutch church in New York were 
Dominie Schaats at Albany, Dominie Folhemus on Long Island, and 
Dominies Megapolensis and Drisius, colleagues at New York. Early in 
the spring, Dominie Megapolensis obtained of the governor permission 
to visit Holland, where he died suddenly, after twenty-seven years of 
ministerial service in the province. Dominie Drisius was in feeble 
health, ami needed assistance, which could only be furnished by /Egidius 
Luyck, the Latin teacher, who had studied divinity in Holland, and by 
the foresinger, Evert Pietersen. 

In June, 167<>, Lovelace offered one thousand guilders per annum, with 
a dwelling-house free of rent, and firewood gratis, to any minister from 
Holland who would come and take charge of the New York 

1670. 

church. Dominie Selyns, who was settled in Wavereen, Holland, 
induced his relative, Dominie Wilhemus Van Nieuwenhuysen, to accept 
the liberal proposition. He duly made the voyage, and, in the summer 
of 1671, was installed as the colleague of Dominie Drisius. The new 
minister was an accomplished scholar, lull of fire and eloquence in the 
pulpit, and highly acceptable to the church and congregation. The gov- 
ernor furnished Dominie Drisius with an allowance from the public 
revenue, and authorized the consistory to tax the congregation for the 
support of the pulpit and of the poor. Thus the English rulers virtually 
established the Dutch Church in New York. The elders and deacons 
at this time were Ex-Governor Peter Stuyvesant, Oloff S. Yan Cort- 
Iandt, 1'aulus Yan der (hist, lioele Roelofsen. Jacob Teunissen Kay. and 
•la col i Leisler. 1 

The English customs in regard to the observance of the Sabbath were 
as rigid as those of the Dutch, and were sustained by the habits and 
feelings of the great mass of the population. It was about 167S that 
the statute was passed in England which may he regarded as the founda- 
tion of our present laws on the subject ; although, when the colonies 
became States, each one legislated more or less tor itself, and there was 
a gradual and universal relaxation of the excessive severity of the earlier 
years. The statute referred to forbade any person laboring or doing any 
business or work, except works of charity or necessity, on the "Lord's 
Day"; and it was enforced to the letter. Any violation of it was vis- 

1 Brodhead, II. 176. Con: ClassU of Amst. Records of Collegiate R. D. Church, X. )'. 
New York City Sec, VI. 562-750. Gen. /■:„/., IV. 47. Council Minutes, III. 82. Col. 
Doc, II. 470, 475 ; III. 189. Murphy's Anthology of N. N., 146, 178. 



250 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

ited with immediate punishment. Ludicrous stories are told of Puritan 
rigor: how, in Massachusetts, no one was permitted to make beer on 
Saturday, lest it should "work" on Sunday; and how, in Connecticut, 
no man was allowed to kiss his wife on the Sabbath. But, with all due 
allowance for humorous exaggeration, it was practically the same in New 
York. The Sabbath was consecrated to an entire cessation from worldly 
labor. With a musical peal of the old Dutch bell the houses poured 
forth their occupants. Since no power ever decreed adversely to the 
dressing of one's best on that day, it must have been a bright and 
impressive scene. Gentlemen wore long-waisted coats, the skirts reach- 
ing almost to the ankles, with large silver buttons, sparkling down the 
entire front ; a velvet waistcoat trimmed with silver-lace peeped out, and 
the shirt-front was elaborately embroidered; breeches were of silver 
cloth or different colored silks, according to the taste of the wearer; and 
the shoe-buckles were of silver. Ladies wore jaunty jackets of silk, vel- 
vet, or cloth, over different colored skirts. Sleeves were of the " mutton- 
leg " shape, with large turned-up white cuffs. Not only were chains 
for the neck much in vogue, but girdle-chains of gold and silver were 
common, to which were suspended costly bound Bibles and hymn-books 
for church use. Brooches and finger-rings also were much worn. The 
hair was dressed high and was frizzed about the face, and the bonnet was 
very pretty. The mayor and aldermen, in a dress that was peculiarly 
conspicuous, occupied, in the church, a pew by themselves. Lovelace, in 
the afternoon, attended the Episcopal service, and occupied the governor's 
pew, which had been elaborately fitted up by Nicolls. Another pew was 
set apart for the governor's council. 

The Duke of York sympathized with any and every religious creed 
which dissented from the Church of England. He was by conviction a 
Roman Catholic ; a fact which was not then without its value, as it 
served to protect irregular forms of worship, and actually placed him 
before the world as the friend of religious toleration. He permitted the 
Lutherans in New York to call a minister, the Rev. Jacobus Fabricus, 
from Germany. He went first to Albany. But his conduct there was 
not such as became his calling, and, complaints having been made, Love- 
lace suspended him from the pulpit at that place, giving him, at the same 
time, permission to preach in Xew York. It was soon found that, in 
addition to a dictatorial and quarrelsome temper, manifested in all his 
church relations, he was constantly abusing his wife. She spent one 
whole winter in the garret of their house, suffering all the while from 
fever aud ague. She finally complained to the government, and peti- 
tioned, that since the house belonged to herself, that her husband should 




" The property was • - Ir n th\ 'Duke's purse. He talked seriously of 

it for sale. ' No,' said William 0?enn, with his Quaker hand laid lovingly on the 
shoulder of his Catholic friend ; ' Keep New York, and give it the franchise. ' " (Page 208. 



CURIOUS RELIC. 



251 



be ordered to give up the keys and not presume to enter it any more. 
After a careful investigation, through which they found that the husband 
was deserving of great blame, the court granted her request. Six months 
later he defied legal authority by going to his wife's house in an angry 
and turbulent manner. A woman who tried to prevent his entrance was 
pushed over her spinning-wheel and severely hurt. Soldiers were sum- 
moned to arrest him, and he fought them desperately. He was conquered, 
tried, fined, and compelled to ask pardon of the court. The clamors 
against him were so loud, that the governor once more interfered and 
removed him from the pulpit, giving him permission to proceed to the 
Delaware. 




[Gold Chatelaine, worn at this period by Mrs. tacob Leisler. having been brought to New York by her 
mother, Mrs. Govert Loockermans. After Mrs. Leislefs death it became the property of her daughter, 
Hester, and has descended in the direct line to Miss Gertrude S. Ogden, of Newark, N J., in whose 
possession it is at present, and through whose courtesy the copy has been permitted.] 

A meeting for merchants — the first New- York Exchange — was 
established in March of this year. The members w r ere to meet every 
Friday morninti, between eleven and twelve o'clock, at the bridge 

. March 24. 

which crossed the ditch at Broad Street, — the site of what is 
now Exchange Place. Just above this there was a hill, which was a 
favorite place with the boys for coasting on their sleds, affording as it did 
a steep descent from Broadway down to the bridge; but Lovelace or- 
dered the mayor of the city to see that the meetings were not disturbed. 



252 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

In the autumn, an interesting political event created a considerable 
sensation. The Court of Assizes levied a tax upon the Long Island towns 
for the purpose of repairing the fort in New York. They had, for 
several years, paid a direct tax of a penny in the pound to defray 
their town charges. They had also submitted graciously to the Duke's 
custom duties for the support of his government. But this last infliction 
was the straw too much. If yielded to, it might become a dangerous 
precedent ; they might be required to maintain the garrison, and they 
knew not what else. They were persuaded that the principle of " taxa- 
tion only by consent" — which Holland had maintained since 1-477, and 
England had adopted in her Petition of Eight in 1628 — was their 
birthright as British subjects. Public meetings were called and protests 
fearlessly adopted and sent to the governor. At the court, which met at 
Gravesend, December 21st, Secretary Nicolls presided, and Coun- 
selors Van Ruyven, Manning, and Thomas Lovelace were present 
as justices. It was unanimously agreed that " the said papers were false, 
scandalous, illegal, and seditious," and they were referred to the governor 
and his council for such action as should " best tend to the suppression 
of mischief." Lovelace ordered that, at the next Mayor's Court, they 
should be publicly burned before the City Hall in New York, and their 
originators prosecuted. 

But it was easier to burn documents than to control pubbc opinion. 
The people of Long Island were full of indignation. They accused the 
governor of despotism, and openly threatened a revolt. Some of the 
towns had taken out new patents, in conformity with the Lvrvf 1666. 
But Southampton and Southold refused, the latter cr. the ground that 
their title from the Indians and New Haven was sufficient : Southampton 
relied upon theirs from Lord Stirling. The Court of Assizes declared the 
titles invalid, unless a patent from the Duke's government should be 
obtained within a certain time. This produced from fifty of the citizens 
of Southampton a remonstrance, which was so full of reason and spirit, 
that Lovelace, having promised to appoint commissioners to confer with 
them, postponed the matter indefinitely. 

The most memorable act of Lovelace's administration was the purchase 
of Staten Island from the Indian sachems, who complained that 
they had never received full compensation from the Dutch. He 
quieted all their claims with a quantity of wampum, coats, kettles, guns, 
powder, lead, axes, hoes, and knives, and obtained a deed in behalf of the 
Duke of York. Immediate measures were taken to induce persons to 
settle there. The surveyors called it " the most commodiosest seate and 
richest land in America." 



CHARLES II. AND LOUIS XIV. 253 

Matthias Nieolls, who had beeo secretary of the province and one of 
the governor's council since 1664, was appointed mayor of the 
city in 1671. Few Englishmen of his time had a keener percep- 1671 ' 

linn dl' practical necessities, or a character more admirably fitted for the 
position. The following year, Thomas Delavall — the mayor, in 1666 — 
was reappointed. He purchased several large estates, among which were 
Great and Little Barent Islands, now Darn Islands, near Hell Gate, and 
a cherry orchard of several acres in the neighborhood of Franklin Square. 
From this orchard, Cherry Street derived iis name. 

In March, 1671, Lovelace bought the greater portion of the "Dominie's 
Bouwery." This property consisted of about sixty-two acres of 
land between the present Warren and Christopher Streets, which ar ° 9 ' 
formerly belonged to Dominie Bogardus and his wife, Anetje .Tans, and 
had been confirmed to their heirs by Xicolls in 1667. It adjoined the 
West India Company's farm, winch the Duke of York held by virtue of 
confiscation by Xicolls. Lovelace made the purchase for his own benefit 
and for some time held it in his own right. It was afterwards vested in 
the crown, ami, by a curious train of events, the farm of the Hist Dutch 
minister was merged in the estate now enjoyed by the corporation of 
Trinity Church. 

In the mean time, in England, the king had grown restless under con- 
stitutional restraints. The independence, the safety, the dignity of 
the nation over which he presided were nothing to him. While an 
assembly of subjects could call for his accounts before paying his debts, 
or could insist upon knowing which of his mistresses or boon companions 
had intercepted the money destined for the equipping and manning of the 
national fleet, he could not think himself a king ; and he determined upon 
emancipating himself. Who, better than the French king, could aid in 
establishing absolute monarchy in England ? To this end he opened 
a negotiation ; and his own sister, the beautiful and witty Henrietta, 
Duchess of Orleans, who was also the sister-in-law of Louis, and a favor- 
ite with both nionarchs, was made the chief agent at the French court. 
The offer of Charles was to dissolve the Triple Alliance and join France 
against the Dutch Republic, if Louis would furnish such military and 
pecuniary assistance as would render him independent of Parliament. 
To this arrangement Louis consented, and a secret treaty was signed, by 
which Charles bound himself to profess the Roman Catholic religion, and 
employ the whole strength of England by land and by. sea to destroy the 
power of the United Provinces, and to maintain the rights of the house 
of Bourbon to the throne of Spain. The Duke of York was immensely 
gratified, and in haste to see the article touching the Roman Catholic 



254 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

religion carried into immediate execution. But Louis was too wise, and 
decreed that Charles should continue to call himself a Protestant, and, at 
high festivals, to receive the sacrament according to the ritual of the 
Church of England. 

The Prince of Orange had been, from his birth, an object of serious 
apprehension to the aristocratic party in Holland, and it was not intended 
to restore him to the high office of Stadtholder, which had been regarded 
as hereditary in his family. He was a cold, sullen young man, without 
health, but full of ambitious ideas and projects. As the nephew of 
Charles, and a grandson of England, it was thought expedient to bring 
him if possible into the alliance. Accordingly, he was invited to London, 
where his birthday was celebrated with great pomp. He was offered the 
despotic rule of the seven provinces, and the hand of Mary, the daughter 
of the Duke of York, in marriage, if he would join the allies. He re- 
plied, " My country trusts in me ; I will not sacrifice it to my interests, 
but if need be die with it in the last ditch." When war was actually 
declared, he chafed under his thraldom and longed to be at the head of 
armies. As he was of age, there was a strong tide of public sentiment in 
favor of giving him the supreme command. 

De Witt resisted for a long time. It had been his policy to foster the 
sea, rather than the land forces of the nation ; consequently, while the 
Dutch fleets under De Euyter and Tronip fought gloriously and main- 
tained the honor of their flag against England, the French monarch in- 
vaded the Netherlands with his armies, numbering two hundred thousand 
men, to meet twenty thousand Dutch soldiers. The annals of the human 
race record but few instances of moral power so successfully defying 
and repelling such superiority of force. The dikes were broken up, and 
the country was drowned. The son of Grotius, suppressing anger at the 
ignominious proposals of Louis XIV., who had established his court at 
Utrecht, protracted the negotiations until the rising waters formed a 
wide and impassable moat around the cities. At Gronigan, the whole 
population, without regard to sex, — little children even, — toiled on the 
fortifications. The suffering anil terrified people raged against the gov- 
ernment. The Prince of Orange came forward and spoke to the States- 
General in lofty and inspiring language. He told them that, even if their 
soil and all the marvels of it were buried under the ocean, all was not lost. 
They might take refuge in the farthest isles of Asia, and commence a new 
and glorious existence amid the sugar-canes and nutmeg-trees ! He was 
presently made Captain-General, and shortly after De Witt resigned his 
office of Pensionary, and his brother Cornelius was imprisoned. Men in 
their madness attributed to their ablest statesmen and bravest generals 



FIERCE BATTLES IN EUROPE. 255 

all the disasters which had occurred. One da}- while Ik- Witi was 
visiting his brother in the prison, a band of infuriated ruffians burst in 
the doors, dragged them both out, and brutally assassinated them in front 
of thf E-inenhof, at the Hague. Confusion and discouragement seemed 
at their height. The stern determination of Prince William, however, 
infused new life into the faltering army, until the French thought it 
prudent to retire. Holland was saved. 

But the landing of English troops upon the soil could only be pre- 
vented by naval conflicts. The younger Tromp had been disgraced 
some time before on the accusation of De Euyter ; hence the two 
commanders were bitter enemies. At the battle of Soulsberg, the I Mitch 
with fifty-two ships of the line engaged an enemy with eighty. I >e Etuy- 
ter was in the full flush of victory, when he discovered that Tromp was 
Dearly overpowered. He magnanimously checked his own career and 
turned to the relief of the latter. Seeing the movement, the young hero 
shouted, "There comes grandfather to the rescue ; I will never desert him 
as long as I breathe." 

The issue of that day was uncertain. In the next encounter, the ad- 
vantage was decidedly with the Dutch, and the English retreated 
to the Thames. Two months later, one hundred and fifty English 
and French ships were met by seventy-five Dutch, near the Helder, and 
a terrible battle ensued. The contesting tones rivalled each other in 
stubborn valor. The noise of artillery boomed along the low coasts, 
while the Dutch churches were thronged with people praying for the 
success of their arms. To the ears of these anxious worshipers, the 
fluctuating roar of the conflict — now almost dying away into silence, and. 
again, shaking the earth and filling all the air — was followed at last by 
the protracted hush which afforded the first intimation of the enemy's 
retreat. A marvelous victory had been won. and De Ruyter and Tromp 
shared with William of ((range in the tumultuous gratitude which, like 
the sea, almost deluged the country. 

Xew York must needs sutler meanwhile. Its progress was checked 
with tlie first news of the commotion beyond the sens Lovelace gave his 
attention to defenses. An extra company of toot was organized, and that 
sterling old Dutch officer. Martin Cregier, was placed in command. A 
volunteer troop of horse was also raised, ami Ex-Mayor Cornelis Steen- 
wyck was made its captain. The fort was repaired and other precautions 
were taken. All ships bound for Europe were compelled to sail in com- 
pany tor mutual protection againsl privateers. The navigation of the 
Hudson River was restricted. The merchants were hampered and on the 
eve of bankruptcy. Commerce was injured with all the colonies along 



256 HISTORY' OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the Atlantic coast. Several New York merchant vessels — among them 
even the Good Fame itself — were captured by the Dutch. 

The news that Colonel Nicolls had been killed in the first naval en- 
, gagement was received in New York with much lamentation, 1 and funeral 
exercises were held with great solemnity in the Dutch church in the fort. 
A compulsory tax for the building of a new battery was not deemed 
prudent or politic ; hence Lovelace asked for a " benevolence " from each 
town in the province. A commission, consisting of Francis Eombouts, 
Thomas Lovelace, Captain Manning, Allard Anthony, Thomas Gibbs, and 
Captain Richard Morris, 2 was appointed to receive and expend the moneys 
collected. A legion of knotty questions immediately sprung up in con- 
nection with titles and quitreuts. While the governor and his council 
were doing their best to preserve harmony in New York, an arrogant 
assembly at Elizabethtown deposed Governor Philip Carteret, and ap- 
pointed his cousin James, the son of Sir George, who had just arrived, in 
his stead. And Delaware escaped the imminent peril of being absorbed 
by Maryland. 

The times were so disturbed that Lovelace was impressed with the 
necessity of establishing an overland mail between New York and Bos- 
ton, for the transmission of intelligence, in case of sudden danger or 
misfortune, and for the advancement of commerce. He consequently 
issued a proclamation, on the 10th of December, 1672, that on the first 
day of January, 1673, and on the first Monday of every following 
month, a sworn messenger would be dispatched to convey letters 
and small packets to Boston, taking Hartford and other places on his 
way. A change of horses would be furnished to the messenger at Hart- 
ford on his journey to and from Boston. He was to be paid a small 
salary, and all the letters were to be free of postage. He was instructed 
to form a post-road by marking trees, " that shall guide other travelers as 
well." Lovelace wrote to Winthrop, asking him to give the man advice 
as to the best route to pursue, and in the same letter informed Winthrop 

1 In the Ampthill church, Bedfordshire, England, is a monument to Richard Nicolls, on 
which is represented a cannon-ball with the inscription " Instrumentum mortis rt immortali- 
tatis." BrodJiead, II. 186. Sasnage, II. 192-209. Sylvius, I. 191 -208, 243-249. Eve- 
lyn, I. 385 - 409. Pepys, II. 361. 

2 Captain Richard Munis was an English gentleman of fortune, who had been one of the 
adherents of Cromwell. He came to New York while it was yet a Dutch province, and 
bought over three thousand acres of land near Harlem. He obtained a grant with baronial 
privileges and called his property Morrisania. His wife died in 1672. He himself died 
shortly after his appointment recorded above, leaving an infant son, Lewis, a year old. The 
administration of his estate was granted to Secretary Nicolls. An elder brother of the 
deceased, Lewis Morris, afterwards removed to Morrisania from Barbadoes, and assumed the 
guardianship of the boy, who became the famous Gouverneur Morris. 



LOVELACE IN HARTFORD. 257 

of the latest news from England ; namely, that the Dutch Republic had 

actually lost three of its provinces, and that there were no tidings of 
peace. Forty well-equipped men-of-war had just been dispatched from 
Holland to the West Indies. " It is high time we begin to buckle ou our 
armor," he added. 

While the snow was yet upon the ground, Lovelace paid a 
visit to the manor of Tliomas Pell, near " Annie's Hoeck," for the 
purpose of settling some question about the new postal route. An ex- 
press followed him from Captain Manning, to announce the appearance of 
a supposed Dutch squadron off Sandy Hook. He hurried back to the 
city, and, finding no enemy, was inclined to ridicule the false alarm. 
However, he summoned the soldiers from Albany, Esopus, and Delaware, 
and mustered one hundred or more enlisted men. The weeks went 
quietly by, there was a general training, and, as the Indians were 
menacing the outposts, the garrisons were sent back to their sta- ay ' 
tions, leaving about eighty soldiers in Fort James. 

Lovelace had for months been intending to visit Winthrop on 
business of importance, and, seeing no special reason to hinder, set y 
out for Hartford on the 20th of July, leaving Manning as before in charge 
of the fort. He had been gone but a few days, when several ships 
were discovered lying near the present quarantine ground. Mau- 
ning immediately dispatched a messenger in hot haste to Lovelace, put 
the guns of the fort in order, caused drums to be beaten through the 
streets for volunteers, and seized provisions wherever they could be found. 
But New York was divided against itself. There were Dutch citizens who 
visited the hostile fleet and revealed the weakness of the defenses. The 
Dutch militia even spiked the guns of the new battery, in front of the 
City Hall. Manning tried to gain time until the governor should return. 
He sent Captain John Carr, who was accidentally in the city, Counselor 
Thomas Lovelace, and Attorney John Sharpe to demand " why the fleet 
had come in such a manner to disturb his Majesty's subjects in this 
place." A boat passed them on the way, with a messenger from the two 
admirals, Evertsen and Binckes, bearing an order for the surrender of New 
York. " We have come to take the place, which is our own, and our own 
we will have," they said. 

Captain Carr informed Captain Manning, on his return, that the enemy 
were too strong to be withstood, and that the Dutch flag must be hoisted 
within half an hour or they would fire upon the fort. Meanwhile the 
fleet had moved nearer, so that the foremost ships were within 
musket-shot. Sharpe was sent promptly back to ask for a cessa- 
tion of hostilities until the next morning, that advice might be obtained 

17 



258 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

from the mayor and aldermen. But Admiral Evertsen had already writ- 
ten a letter to the city magistrates, guaranteeing to all men their estates 
and liberties, and this had been read aloud to the citizens from the City 
Hall. The commanders would grant but one more halt-hour, " and the 
glass was turned up." 

At the end of that time, the ships fired a broadside into the fort, killing 
and wounding several of the garrison, and the fire was returned. At 
the same moment six hundred men were seen landing just above the 
" governor's orchard," on the river shore, back of the present Trinity 
Church. They paraded in the old graveyard adjoining. Manning, at 
Carr's instigation, ordered a flag of truce to be exhibited ; but Carr, ex- 
ceeding his orders, struck the king's flag at the same time. Carr, Love- 
lace, and Gibbs were sent to make the best conditions possible with the 
invading force. The two latter were detained as hostages, and Carr was 
sent back to demand the surrender of the garrison in fifteen minutes, as 
prisoners of war. Carr never delivered the message, but sought his per- 
sonal safety in another direction. Manning sent Sharpe to meet the col- 
umn which was rapidly advancing down Broadway, to ask permission to 
march out of the fort with the honors of war. It was about seven o'clock, 
on a summer evening. Captain Anthony Colve, who was in command 
of the Dutch, readily acquiesced. He formed his men in a line in front 
of the fort, and waited, while Manning marched through the gates, at 
the head of the garrison, with colors flying and drums beating. They 
grounded their arms, and were committed to prison in the church, while 
the Dutch quietly took possession of the citadel. The three-colored en- 
sign of the Dutch Bepublic rose to its old place on the flag-staff, and New 
York became once more New Netherland. 

This was an absolute conquest by an open enemy in time of war. 
Every circumstance in connection with it differed from those which had 
stood out conspicuously when the place was captured by the English, 
nine years before. A province was annexed to the Dutch Bepublic ; but 
the effete West India Company had had nothing whatever to do with the 
transaction. The old corporation had gone into liquidation soon after the 
conquest of the place in 1664, and the new company had taken no interest 
in its recapture. It had greatly increased in value under the English; 
the population had more than doubled ; and now the direct authority 
of the States-General and the Prince of Orange was hailed by all who 
had a drop of Dutch blood in their veins, and by many others, with un- 
bounded enthusiasm. The city was called New < ►range, in honor of the 
young prince, and the fort received the name of William Hendrick. 



A DM IRA L E I 'ERTSEN. 



259 



CHAPTER XV. 

1673 - 1678. 
ADMIRAL EVERTSEN. 

Admiral Evertsen. — The new Municipal Officers. — The Conquered Territory. — 
Taking the Oath. — Lovelace's Private Losses. — Governor Anthony Colve. — 
Rumors of War with New England. —Austria and Spain to the Rescue of Hol- 
land. — TheFamous Test Act. — Mary of Modena. —The Marriage of the Dike 
of York. — The Sacrifice of New Netherland. — The Treaty of "Westminster, 
Sir Edmund Andros. — Lieutenant-Governor Anthony Brockholls. — New Jersey. 

— Long Island. — Governor Colve's Farewell. — The Reception of Governor 
Andros. — Dominie Van Rensselaer. — Frederick Philipsk. — Captain Manning. 

— Stringent Measures. — Imprisonment of Leading Citizens. — Indian War in- 
New England. — Robert Livingston. — Andros and the Connecticut Dele- 
gates. — City Improvements. — Tanneries along Maiden Lane. — Stephanus 
Van Cortlandt. - The celebrated Bolting Act. — Indian and Negro Slaves. 



THE two Dutch admirals, Evertsen ami Binckes, were obliged to 
assume the responsibility of 
governing their conquest until di- 
rections should come from the Hague. 
Never was the Dutch Republic 
more ably represented than by the 
cool, honest, and sagacious Admiral 
Evertsen. He was the eldest son 
of the renowned Admiral Cornelis 
Evertsen, who was killed in a battle 
with the English, in 1666. He had 
with him in the New York harbor 
about twenty English prizes, which 
he had captured in Virginia and else- 
where, and a large number of pris- 
oners. But it was a delicate matter 
to select from his inferior officers a 
governor for New Amsterdam. PortrarTorEvertsen. 

Captain Anthony Colve was the best fitted among them for such a 




26'0 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

command. He was accordingly appointed, by the admirals, and a com- 
mission was issued for him similar in phraseology to those issued by the 
crown of England. He was a short, stout, dark-complexioned man, 
abrupt in his manners, coarse in his language, and of a rough, passionate 
nature, which had not been improved by military service. He possessed 
undoubted qualifications for rulership, but he was vain, gluttonous, and 
excessively given to wine. He put on princely airs, spent money 
extravagantly, and lived ostentatiously. In the latter respect he outdid 
any of the governors who had preceded him. 

The admirals determined to keep their ships in the harbor until the 
new government should be firmly established. They evidently dis- 
trusted the ability of Colve in many particulars. They sent for Oloff 
S. Van Cortlandt, Johannes De Peyster, Cornelis Steenwyck, and a few 
others of the prominent Dutch citizens, and advised with them as to 
proper persons for official trusts. Nicholas Bayard acted as register of 
their proceedings, and was finally made secretary of the province. The 
old form of municipal government was restored, and the commonalty 
convoked to elect a new board of burgomasters and schepens. The bur- 
gomasters were Johannes Van Brugh, Johannes De Peyster, and iEgidius 
Luyck. The schepens were William Beekman (who had returned from 
Esopus), Jeroninrus Ebbing, Jacob Kip, Lawrence Van der Spiegel, and 
Gulian Verplanck. 

They were from among the wealthiest citizens, and of the Dutch Re- 
formed religion. Jeroninrus Ebbing was a man of large property, whose 
business for seventeen years or more had been along the Hudson River, 
chiefly at Esopus and Albany, which he visited at stated intervals, to 
gather and ship to Holland furs and other articles from the Indians. 
He was by profession a lawyer, and his wife was the daughter of De 
Laet, the Dutch historian. She was a lady of great personal beauty, and 
possessed in her own right a large estate, comprising, amongst other prop- 
erty, the tract of land which her father had acquired near Albany, when 
he was one of the directors of the West India Company. Gulian Ver- 
planck was the son of Abraham Verplanck, who lived on the east side 
of the town near the river. Gulian was, for many years, the clerk of 
Allard Anthony, but, about 1656, he went into business for himself and 
became very prosperous. He married Hendrica Wessells, the belle of 
New Amsterdam. The venerable Allard Anthony, who, as sheriff, had 
been so exacting and severe that the common people called him the 
"hangman," was now removed from that office, and Anthony De Milt was 
appointed in his place. The latter was a baker, living on the corner 
of Whitehall and Beaver Streets. He was well known and possessed the 



Aug. 8. 



THE CONQUERED TERRITORY. 261 

good-will of the entire community. His three daughters, Maria, Anna, 
ami Sarah, were at erne period the best Latin scholars in the city. He 
hail two sons, Isaac and Pieter, from whom the numerous families of that 
name are descended. 

The new magistrates were duly sworn into office, and the late mayor 
surrendered the gowns, mace, and seal which the Duke of York had 
given to the city. These were at once carefully deposited in 
the fort. The admirals issued a proclamation, confiscating all 
the property and debts belonging to the kings of France and England, 
and requiring every person to report such rjroperty to Secretary Bayard 
The estates of Lovelace, Delavall, Carteret, Manning, Willett, Derval, 
and others were attached, and those unfortunate officers left penniless. 1 
The dwellings of Lovelace and Manning had been plundered by the 
Dutch troops in the first heat of conquest ; and that of John Lawrence, 
tlie mayor, would have suffered the same fate, but for the timely inter- 
ference of some of his Dutch neighbors. Van Ruyven, who was the 
Receiver-General of the Duke's revenues, was required to render a strict 
account of all the property in his possession. 

The conquered territory, as described in tin' commission to Governor 
Colve, extended from fifteen miles south of Cape Henlopen to the east- 
ern end of Long Island, thence through the middle of the Sound to 
Greenwich, and so northerly according to the boundary made in 1650, 
including Delaware Bay and the intermediate territory, as possessed by 
the Duke of York. As soon as the city was secured, two hundred men 
were sent up the river in vessels, to reduce Esopus and Albany. They 
encountered no opposition, the places were surrendered " at mercy," and 
the soldiers held as prisoners of war. New Jersey submitted peaceably, 
and the countries on the Delaware followed her example. Some of the 
Long Island towns came forward with alacrity, to bring their English flags 
and adopt the colors of Holland; but others were not disposed to yield 
so easily. Southampton appealed to Hartford for advice and assistance. 
Connecticut was cautious. Her own affairs were in a critical condition : 
two delegates from the General Court were just upon the eve of starting 
for New Orange, with a letter of remonstrance to the I Hitch commanders 
against their arbitrary treatment of British subjects. The admirals gave 
them a strictly military reception, and replied in writing to their appeal, 
that it was very strange their enemies should object to the results of 
war, and that prompt punishment would lie visited upon "all who should 
strive to maintain the said villages in their injustice." While tin' Con- 
necticut delegates were still at the fort, deputies from Southampton, 

1 William Derval to Mr. R. Wolley, September 20, 1673 ; Col. Doc, III. 206. 



262 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Easthampton, Southold, Brookhaven, and Huntington arrived. Nathan- 
iel Sylvester came also from Shelter Island, and advised his Long Island 
neighbors by all means to submit. This they finally decided to do. 
Sylvester asked and obtained a confirmation of the privileges which 
Nicolls had granted to Shelter Island in 1666. David Gardiner shortly 
after took the oath and was confirmed in the possession of Gardiner's 
Island with all its manor privileges. But there were so many 

U6 ' ' English prisoners that the situation became embarrassing, and 
three ships were sent to convey them to Europe. 

While these events were following each other in rapid succession, Gov- 
ernor Lovelace had completed his stay in Hartford and was leisurely 
returning on horseback through the woods, when he was met near New 
Haven by an excited messenger, who reported that the Dutch squadron 
was in the bay. He pushed on as rapidly as possible, but learned at 
Mamaroneck that the fort had already been taken. Still hoping, how- 
ever, to retrieve the disaster, he crossed to Long Island for the purpose of 
arousing the people and raising militia. At the house of Justice Corn- 
well, near Flushing, he met Secretary Matthias Nicolls, who advised him 
" to keep out of the enemy's hand." Some of the Dutch ministers gave 
him counter-advice ; and, having at stake private interests of moment, he 
finally decided to visit the fort for three days. Admiral Evertsen, having 
been informed of this, went over in his barge to Long Island, received the 
superseded governor with courtesy, and conducted him to the city, where 
he was handsomely entertained by its new masters. Before the expira- 
tion of tlic three days, ho was arrested by his creditors for debts which the 
confiscation of his property left no means for paying. He wrote to Win- 
throp : " Are you curious to know the extent of my losses ? it was my all 
whichever 1 had been collecting ; too greate to misse in this wilderness." 
Soon after he sailed for Europe in Admiral Binckes's vessel, accompanied 
by Thomas Delavall. 

By the hand of Van Ruyven, who left for Holland about the same 
time, the city magistrates wrote to the States-General an eloquent letter, 
representing the urgent need of reinforcements as soon as the squadron 
should leave the bay. Finding that Admiral Evertsen proposed sailing 
sooner than had been anticipated, the citizens laid before him an urgent 
petition that two ships of war. commanded by superior officers, 
should be left behind, to prevent the Duke of York from attempt- 
ing to recover his possessions. This request was granted. 

The Indians were attracted by the magnificent vessels in the harbor, 
and some of the sachems visited the fort and congratulated the Dutch 
upon the recovery of their colony. They said, " We have always been as 



RUMORS OF WAR WITH NEW ENGLAND. 263 

oue flesh ; if the French come down from Canada, we will join the Dutch, 
and live and die with them." These words of amity were confirmed with 
a belt of wampum. 

When Governor Colve was at last installed in office, he set up a coach, 
drawn by three horses. Cornells Steenwyck was his first counselor. 
Secretary Bayard was efficient in all business matters, and on important 
occasions the burgomasters and schepeus of the city were consulted. 
When questions arose about the treatment of foreigners or their property, 
Captain Kuyff and Captain Epesteyn, of the Dutch infantry, were added 
as a council of war, 

Everything assumed a military air. A guard was stationed near Sandy 
Hook, to send the earliest information to the governor of the arrival of 
ships. Strangers were not allowed to cross the ferries into the city with- 
out a pass ; and whoever had not taken the oath of allegiance was ex- 
pelled from the city. The insecure condition of the fort was improved ; 
and twenty-one houses that pressed too closely upon the citadel 
were removed, the owners being compensated with lots in other 
localities. The Lutheran church which hail just been built "without 
the gate " was demolished, and the Lutherans were allowed to build an- 
other at the corner of Broadway and Rector Street, on the site of what 
was afterwards Grace Church. 

Serious difficulties arising about this time with New England, and hos- 
tilities having been threatened, it was ordered that no person should enter 
or depart from New York except through the city gate, mi pain of death. 
At sundown the gates were closed, and a watch was set until sunrise. 
Citizens were forbidden to harbor any stranger, or to hold any correspond- 
ence whatever with the people of Massachusetts and Connecticut. 

To bring the city more directly under the governor's authority, i 67 4. 
a "Provisional Instruction" was issued, which authorized Captain Jan16 - 
Knyff to preside over the Court of Burgomasters and Schepeus. The 
honest magistrates rebelled at this ; whereupon Colve pompously 
threatened to dismiss them and appoint others, and they finally 
yielded under protest. 

To provide for the " excessive expenses," a tax was levied upon every 
inhabitant of the city worth over one thousand guilders. As it must 
necessarily take some time to collect this tax, every person who had 
been assessed more than four thousand guilders was ordered to advance 
a loan. As it was generally supposed that the Duke would at- 

, „ , . . , March 17. 

tempt the recapture 01 the province, precautions were taken on 
all sides to prevent a surprise. 

Meanwkde, a series of remarkable events, affecting the whole future of 



264 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

New York, were taking place across the water. The movements of the 
king of France had roused Austria to arms, and the Roman Catholic 
dynasty of Spain had hastened to support the Protestant Dutch Republic 
against the common danger. Louis found himself all at once compelled 
to contend with half of Europe, and was consequently in no condition to 
furnish funds for England. Parliament was convoked, and both houses 
reassembled in the spring of 1 673. But they doled out money sparingly, 
considered the war with Protestant Holland unjustifiable, disliked the 
king's alliance with Roman Catholic France, and suspected the orthodoxy 
of the Duke of York. The Commons, as the only condition upon which 
they would vote supplies, extorted the unwilling consent of Charles to a 
celebrated law known as the Test Act, which continued in force clown to 
the reign of George IV. It required all persons holding office, civil or 
military, to take the oath of supremacy, and publicly receive the sacra- 
ment according to the rites of the Church of England. The Duke of 
York, who had secretly been a Roman Catholic, was obliged to candidly 
declare his religious faith, and, in a flood of tears, he resigned all the offices 
which he held under the Crown, including- that of Lord High Admiral. 
But, as the act did not extend to Scotland and Ireland, or to the American 
Plantations, his admiralty jurisdiction over the latter remained unchanged. 

The king of Spain made it one of the conditions of his signing an alli- 
ance with Germany and the United Netherlands, that the latter should 
consent to a peace with England upon the basis of a mutual restoration 
of conquests. The House of Commons, having obtained one victory over 
the king in the matter of the Test Act, declared that no more supplies 
should be granted for the war, unless it should appear that the enemy had 
obstinately refused to consent to reasonable terms of peace. Charles then 
cajoled the nation by pretending to return to the policy of the Triple 
Alliance. He summoned Sir William Temple from his retirement and 
sent him again as minister to Holland. The latter, of all the official men 
of that age, had preserved the fairest character, never having taken any 
part in the politics which had dictated the war. Through his efforts, a 
separate treaty of peace was, in course of time, concluded with the United 
Provinces. The States-General submitted to hard terms, for they were 
forced to succumb to a political necessity. It was two months before 
they knew of the conquest of New Netherland, and one month before that 
important event had actually occurred, that they yielded to the dictation 
of Spain so far as to promise to sign articles of peace with England. 

Never before were two allies by circumstance greater enemies at heart 
than the uncertain king of England and the statesmen of the Dutch Re- 
public. Charles and the Duke of York both wished, for many reasons, to 



THE MARRIAGE OF THE DURE OF YORK. 265 

remain in favor with the French king. Mary of Modena, the beautiful Ro- 
man Catholic princess, had been selected as the wife of the Duke, and the 
future queen of England Charles approved the match, and Louis <*ave 
the bride a splendid dowry. Perhaps the Duke would have been just 
then more pleased with ships and men and money for the recovery of 
New York; and the ruined merchants of England would certainly have 
been better satisfied with some indemnity for their losses, as the priva- 
teers of Holland and Zealand had captured twenty-seven hundred British 
vessels, to say nothing of other property destroyed. But it was a wed- 
ding instead. 

Mary of Modena was fifteen years of age ; tall, and womanly, and 
beautiful. She read and wrote Latin and French with ease, had some 
taste in painting, could dance well, and excelled in music. Of history, 
geography, and the royal sciences, she knew nothing. When her mother 
announced to her that she had been sought in marriage by the Duke of 
York, she asked, with great simplicity, who the Duke of York was. 
When told that he was brother to the king of England and heir-presump- 
tive to that realm, she inquired the whereabouts of England. As for her 
prospective husband, when she found that he was in his fortieth year, she 
burst into a fit of weeping, declaring that she would rather be a nun. and 
implored her aunt to marry the man herself. James, smarting doubly 
from the consequences of the Test Act and the loss of Xew York, paid very 
little attention to his marriage festivities. Instead of choosing a person 
of his own faith to act as his proxy in France, he sent a member of the 
Church of England, and the ceremony was performed by an English 
priest, not only without a dispensation from the Pope, but in defiance of 
his interdict. 

James was in the drawing-room, laughing and chatting with some 
ladies and gentlemen, when the French ambassador came to him with the 
news that the marriage service had been concluded. " Then I am a mar- 
ried man," he exclaimed, gayly. He sent a message the same evening to 
his daughter Mary, that he " had provided a playfellow for her." As 
for the bride, she cried and screamed two whole days and nights as the 
time drew near for her to commence her journey to England. She would 
not be pacified until her mother promised to accompany her. She em- 
barked at Calais on the 21st of November, 1673. The Duke gallantly 
awaited her on the sands at Dover, and, like his royal father, many years 
before, received his French bride in his arms. He was charmed with her 
grace and loveliness, and, though she betrayed a childish aversion to him, 
he was too well versed in the art of playing the successful wooer to ladies 
of all ages to notice it, and lavished upon her the most courtly attentions. 



266 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

From that hour, it became evident that New Netherland was the pivot 
upon which affairs were likely to turn. The States-General had com- 
mitted themselves with Spain to a mutual restoration of conquests, while 
yet ignorant of their recent American acquisition. With the news of their 
unexpected good fortune came a sense of painful embarrassment. Peace 
was desirable; and finally they determined upon the sacrifice, and, through 
the Spanish ambassador at London, offered to restore New Netherland. 
Charles charged the Dutch with insincerity ; but Parliament was alive 
to the pro liable consequences of the Duke's marriage, and informed the 
king that the treaty was inevitable. Perceiving that his lords were bent 
upon keeping him poor and without an army, Charles suddenly accepted 
the terms, although he said, " it went more against his heart than the 
losing of his right hand." When he had committed himself too far to 
recede, Louis offered him five million and a half dollars and forty ships 
of war to break off negotiations. James tried to accomplish the same 
result, for he would have greatly preferred to recover his losses by force 
of arms. The treaty was signed, however, at Westminster, on the 
9th of February, 1674, and peace was soon after proclaimed at 
London and at the Hague. Thus England escaped a disastrous war, 
and the Dutch were rendered less apprehensive of Louis, their more 
dreaded foe. 

The news reached New Netherland early in .Line. Governor Colve 
received instructions from the States-General to restore the prov- 
ince to any person whom the king of England should depute 
to receive it. The wise heads at the Hague had been denied even one 
brief moment of exultation in the prospect of rearing the offspring of 
their offspring, — the child of the selfish corporation which they them- 
selves had fostered. Whatever dreams they may have indulged of build- 
in<* a great empire midway between the Royalist and Puritan colonies 
of England, to teach the world lessons in civil and religious liberty and 
patriotic devotion, were now dissipated forever. But the spirits of a few 
men had already infused into the character of the people elements of 
greatness destined never to die out, and laid the foundations of a com- 
munity on principles of freedom and virtue which, through all the muta- 
tions of time, will increase the purity and power of the nation. 

Sir Edmund Andros was the newly appointed English governor. He 
had been brought up in the kind's household, of which his father was the 
master of ceremonies. He had distinguished himself in the army, and, 
by the recent death of his father, had succeeded to the office of bailiff 
of Guernsey, and become hereditary seigneur of the fief of Sausmarez. 
The proprietor of Carolina had also made him a landgrave, and granted 



LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR ANTHONY BROCKHOLLS. 267 




him four baronies in that province. He was about thirty-seven years of 
age ; well informed in the politics of the time, educated in history and 
language and art, and, as events subsequently developed, possessed of <reat 
capacity for statesmanship. His private character, moreover, was without 
blemish. His wife, Mary, to whom 
he had been married about three 
years and who accompanied him to 
this country, was the daughter of 
Sir Thomas Craven. His commis- 
sion authorized him to take posses- 
sion of New York, in the name of 
Charles II. He arrived in October. 

An interesting question arose at 
Whitehall, touching the Duke's title 
to New York. The most eminent 
lawyers in England were taken into 
council, and it was finally decided 
that all subordinate right and juris- 
diction had been extinguished by 
the Dutch conquest; the king alone was proprietor of New Netherland 
by virtue of the treaty of Westminster. Charles therefore issued a 
new patent to his brother, conveying the same territory as before, with 
absolute powers of government. And the Duke gave elaborate instruc- 
tions to Andros, which formed the temporary political constitution of 
New York. 

Anthony Brockholls was appointed lieutenant-governor. He was a 
Eoman Catholic ; but the Test Act, which would have excluded- him 
from office in England, did not reach these shores. The Duke, still writh- 
ing under Protestant intolerance, was thus able to illustrate his own ideas 
of freedom of conscience. 

It is a curious fact, that the king's new patent to the Duke read as if 
no previous English patent had ever existed. It convej ed, ostensibly for 
the first time, a territory, which the Netherlands, alter conquering and 
holding it, had by treaty restored. New Jersey was once more the prop- 
erty of James, together with all the territory west of the Connecticut 
River, Long Island and the adjacent islands, and the region of Pemaquid. 

Boundary dissensions, litigations, fines, and heart-burnings were all to 
begin at the original starting-place and be lived over again. Berkeley 
and Carteret were slightly moved to anger when they found their former 
purchases annulled. Berkeley had sold his undivided half of New Jer- 
sey for one thousand pounds ; and John Fenwick, the buyer, thought he 



268 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

had secured a bargain. Sir George Carteret was vice-chamberlain of the 
royal household, and a resolute, domineering courtier. These gentlemen 
suddenly found themselves without any legal right whatever to New 
Jersey, and were not slow or moderate in their complaints. Carteret 
wielded the greater influence of the two ; and, within three weeks after the 
commission to Andros was issued, the Duke directed Thomas Wynning- 
ton, his attorney-general, and Sir John Churchill, his solicitor-general, to 
prepare a grant to Carteret, in severalty, of a part of the portion which, 
ten years before, he had conveyed to Berkeley and Carteret jointly} 

Whatever may be said of the scope of this instrument, its history 
is remarkable. Before he granted it, James hesitated and demurred. 
Charles had insisted that something must be done to keep Sir George 
in a good-humor. And when James at last affixed his signature to 
the grant, it was after carefully noting that it contained no clause by 
which the imperious Carteret could claim the absolute power and author- 
ity to govern. The commission to Andros comprehended New Jersey, 
and it was not altered. Yet Carteret, esteeming himself sole propri- 
etor, drew up a paper distinctly recognizing the annihilation of this 
old right by the Dutch conquest and the recent fresh grant from the 
Duke, and at the same time commissioned his cousin Philip Carteret 
as governor over his possessions, and procured his passage in the same 
vessel with Andros. Lord Berkeley seems to have been ignored alto- 
gether. 

The Duke, not quite at ease about his title to Long Island, as he had 
never paid Lord Stirling the sum agreed upon in 1664, negotiated a life 
pension of three hundred pounds a year for him on condition that he 
would yield all pretense to right and title. This was satisfactory; and 
Lord Stirling agreed that, if the Duke would procure for him any employ- 
ment of the like value, he would release the grant of his annuity. 

The frigates Diamond and Castle, with the gubernatorial party, 

Oct 22 

anchored off Staten Island, October 22, 1674. Andros sent Gov- 
ernor Carteret, with Ensign Knafton, to notify Governor Colve of his 

1 This grant was described as the tract of land " westward of Long Island and Manhattan 
Island, bounded on the east partly by the main sea and partly by Hudson's River, and ex- 
tends southward as far as a certain creek called Barnegat, being about the middle between Sandy 
Point and Cape May ; and bounded on the west in a strait line from Barnegat to a certain 
creek in Delaware River next to and below a certain creek called Rankokus Kill ; and from 
thence up the Delaware River to the northermost branch thereof which is forty-one degrees and 
forty minutes of latitude ; and on the north crosses over thence in a strait line to Hudson's 
River in forty-one degrees of latitude ; which said tract is to be called by the name of New 
Jersey." Brodhcad, II. 267 '. WhiMiead, 64. Learning and Spicer, 49. Chalmers, I. 617. 
Col. Doc., 111. 229, 240. 



GOVERNOR (JOLVE'S FAREWELL. 269 

arrival, and of his readiness to receive the scepter of command. The 
latter, hy advice of his council, and the burgomasters and schepens, asked 
for eight days, in which to complete some necessary preliminaries. Cor- 
nells Steenwyck, Johannes Van Brugh, and William Beekman were 
appointed to pay a visit of welcome to Andros on board the Diamond, 
and to request certain privileges for the Dutch inhabitants of New York. 
They were courteously received, invited to dine, treated to the choicest of 
wines, and assured that every Dutch citizen should participate in all the 
liberties and privileges accorded to English subjects. To the several arti- 
cles, relating chiefly to the settlement of debts, the validity of judgments 
during the Dutch administration, the maintenance of owners in the pos- 
session of their property, the retention of church forms and ceremonies, 
etc., Andros replied that he would give such answers as were desired as 
soon as he had assumed the government. And all his promises were hon- 
orably fulfilled. 

On the 9th of November, Governor Colve assembled at the old City 
Hall the burgomasters and schepens, together with all officers, 
civil or military, who had served under him, and, in a short speech, 
absolved them from their oaths of allegiance to the States-General and 
the Prince of Orange, and announced that on the morrow he would sur- 
render the fort and province to the new English governor, who repre- 
sented the king of England. The cushions and the tablecloth in the 
City Hall were placed in charge of Johannes Van Brugh until they should 
be claimed by superior authority. Then, with a lew words of farewell, he 
dismissed the assembly. 

The next day was Saturday. Andros landed with much ceremony and 
was graciouslv greeted by the Dutch commander. The final 

6 .' o J Nov 10 

transfer of the province took place, and the city on Manhattan 
Island became once more and for all the future up to the present time, 
New York. One of the most friendly incidents of the occasion occurred 
just as the setting sun was tinting the western horizon. Ex-Governor 
Colve sent his coach and three horses with a formal, flattering message, 
as a gift to Governor Andros. 

A quiet Sabbath followed. Dominie Van Nieuwenhuysen was assisted 
in the morning service, at the old Dutch church in the fort, by 

° Nov. 11 

Rev. Nicolaus Van Rensselaer, a younger son of the patroon, and 

one of the late arrivals by the Diamond? He was an ordained clergyman, 

1 Dominie Van Rensselaer had fortunately prophesied to Charles II., when the latter was 
an exile at Brussels, that he would be restored to the throne. When that event oi curred, 
the domini'- accompanied the Dutch ambassador, Van Gogh, to London, as chaplain to the 
embassy : and the king, remembering his prediction, gave Van Rensselaer a gold snuff-box 



270 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



a,iul had been recommended by James to fill one of the Dutch churches 
in New York or Albany, whenever a vacancy should occur. Andros, who 
was a member of the Church of England, attended divine service in the 
afternoon in the same sanctuary, as had been the custom of his prede- 
cessors. 

Early on Monday morning, Andros wrote a polite note of acknowledg- 
ment to Colve for his many courtesies, and thanked him cordially for his 
unexpected present. He likewise returned the articles which had been 
submitted to him, nearly all of which had been agreed to, and certified 
by the newly sworn secretary of the province, Matthias Nicolls. The 
latter was made one of the governor's chief counselors and also mayor 
of the city. 

Andros appointed the common council by special commission. John 
Lawrence was made deputy-mayor; and William Derval, Frederick 
Philipse, Gabriel Minvielle, and John Winder, aldermen. They were to 
hold their offices until the next October. Thomas Gibbs received the 
appointment of sheriff; and Captain Dyer, formerly of Rhode Island, that 
of collector of the revenues. 

Frederick Philipse was known, for a full quarter of a century from this 
time, as the richest man in New York. He was a native of Friesland, 
and came to this country to seek his fortune, when New York was in her 
feeblest infancy. He brought no money 
across the water, as has been generally sup- 
posed. He was a penniless youth, of high 
birth, with extraordinary tact and talent for 
business, and a smattering of the carpenter's 
trade. He worked at the latter until he 
could measure and master the situation. It 
is said that he was employed on the old 
Dutch church in the fort, and actually made 
the pulpit with his own hands. He finally 
started in trade and was successful, particu- 
larly with the Indians. He was persistently 
Phiiipse's coat of Arms. industrious and rose rapidly into notice. He 

is spoken of as a well-to-do merchant, in 1662. From that time his 

with his portrait on the lid, which is still preserved by the family at Albany. After Van 
Gogh left London, in 1665, because of the Dutch war, Van Rensselaer received Charles's 
license to preach in the Dutch church at Westminster, was ordained a deacon in the English 
Church by the Bishop of Salisbury, and was appointed lecturer in Saint Margaret's, Lothbury. 
Van Nieuwenhuysen's Letter to CI. Amst, May 30, 1676; Col. Doc, III. 225. Doc. Hist. N. Y., 
III. 526. O'CalL, I. 122, 212 ; II. 552. Holgatt, 52. Smith, I. 49, 388. Brodhead, II. 272. 
New York Christ. Intell., Nov. 2, 1865. Hut. Mag., IX. 352. 




FREDERICK PHILIPSE. "-' ( 1 

advance was rapid. The wealthy Peter Rudolphus De Vries died ; and 
Philipse, marrying the widow, acquired her estate. The lady, however, was 
strong-minded, quite competent to manage her own affairs, and altogethe) 
opposed to taxation without representation. She bought and traded in 
her own name, and often went to Holland as supercargo in her own ships. 
She took her children to Europe, and gave them a liberal education. The 
world pronounced her able, but not amiable. The world sometimes errs 
in judgment, and may have done so in this instance, for there is no evi- 
dence of domestic infelicity in the Philipse family. On the contrary, 
Mrs. Philipse seems to have been in sympathy with all her husband's 
plans and projects, and to have greatly advanced his mercantile interests 

He became one of the largest traders with the Five Nations, at Albany ; 
he sent his own vessels to both the East and West Indies ; he imported 
slaves from Africa ; and (as we shall see hereafter) there were audible 
whisperings, when piracy was at its zenith, of his being engaged in un- 
lawful trade with the buccaneers at Madagascar. The latter accusation, 
however, if true, was never proven. By a fortuitous chain of circum- 
stances, the united avails of several large individual fortunes centered in 
this one man. After the death of his first wife (about the time of the 
advent of Governor Sloughter), he married, in 1693, another rich widow. 
Tins was Catharine, the daughter of Oloff S. Van Cortlandt, and, besides 
the large estate bequeathed by her lather, she had received from her 
deceased husband a still more extensive property. She was, moreover, 
young and attractive, had a sweet disposition, many accomplishments, 
and charming maimers. 

Frederick Philipse secured to himself, by purchase of the Indians and 
grants from the government, all the "hunting-grounds" between Spuy- 
ten-Duyvil and the Croton Paver. In 1693, this vast estate was formally 
erected by royal charter into a manor, under the style and title of 
the manor of Philipseborough, with the customary privileges of a lord- 
ship, such as holding court-leet, court-baron, exercising advowson, etc. 
It embraced the romantic site of the present ambitious city of Yonkers, 
which extends six miles along the Hudson Paver by three miles inland, 
ami in the very heart of which may now be seen the pioneer manor- 
house erected in 1682. It was enlarged and improved in 174-3. but the 
practiced eye can readily determine where the products of the two cen- 
turies were joined in one harmonious whole. There still swings in the 
center of the southern front a massive door, which was manufactured 
in Holland in 1681, and imported by the first Mrs. Philipse in one of her 
own vessels. It is as dark as ebony, and shows where the upper and 
lower halves, which formerly opened separately, were fastened together. 



272 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

This old manor-house has had an eventful history, and finally, in the year 
1867, it was purchased by the corporation of Yonkers and converted 
into a City Hall. Philipse was, for more than twenty years, a member of 
the governor's council, and on terms of intimacy with all the royal gov- 
ernors, from Andros to Bellamont. His enormous wealth entitled him to 
constant consideration ; yet he was no favorite with the magnates of his 
time. He was grave, even to melancholy, and talked so little that he was 
often pronounced excessively dull. He was not a man of letters, or of 
any special culture. He was intelligent, apt, a close observer of men and 
things, and shrewd almost to craftiness. Although an official adviser to 
the king's commander-in-chief, he never advised. In the political con- 
troversies which were more deadly bitter in that remote period than they 
have ever been since, he never meddled, but laid his hand upon his 
purse, and waited to see which party was likely to win. He was tall and 
well proportioned, with a quiet gray eye, which always seemed to hide 
more than it revealed, a Eoman nose, and a mouth expressive of strong 
will. His movements were slow and measured. He dressed with great 
care and precision, wearing the full embroidery, lace cuffs, etc., of the time, 
and his head was crowned with that absurd and detestable monstrosity, 
— a periwig with flowing ringlets. 

The governor and his council were to meet at nine o'clock every Fri- 
day morning for the transaction of State business. The first mayor's 
court was convened on the Wednesday following the surrender. 
It was ordered that the records be henceforth kept in English, 
and that every paper offered to the court be in the same tongue, except 
in case of poor people who could not afford the cost of translation. This 
introduced more of the English form into legal proceedings than had 
heretofore obtained, but it was several years before the custom was well 
established. 

Captain Manning returned to New York with Governor Andros in the 
Diamond. He had sailed for England shortly after the recapture of New 
York by the Dutch, and, suffering the affliction of losing his wife on the 
voyage, had arrived in London while the Treaty of Westminster was yet 
in suspense. The Duke summoned him into his presence, and, after 
listening to his account of the surrender of New York to the Dutch, cen- 
sured him severely. The next day, he was closely examined in Lord 
Arlington's office by the king and the Duke. " Brother," said Charles to 
James, " the ground could not have been maintained by so few men." 
Manning was dismissed without reprimand, and the Duke, after a time, 
paid his expenses from Fayal. 

But some of those who had lost heavily by the surrender to the Dutch 



STRINGENT MEASURES. 273 

were disposed to attribute the disaster to the officer in command. Al- 
derman Derval, who was the son-in-law of Thomas De.lav.all, was very- 
bitter in his denunciations of Manning. Andros was finally compelled 
to arrest the latter ; and he was tried by a court-martial, composed of the 
governor and council, Captains Griffith, Burton, and Salisbury, and the 
mayor and aldermen of the city. Six charges were brought against him, 
involving neglect of duty, cowardice, and treachery. A number of wit- 
nesses testified against him ; and, although he endeavoi-ed to explain his 
conduct, rejected indignantly the idea of treachery or cowardice, and 
finally threw himself upon the mercy of the court, he was found guilty 
of all save treachery, and pronounced deserving of death. As he hud 
seen the king and the Duke since the crime was committed, he was 
allowed the benefit of the proverb, " king's face brings grace," and his 
life was spared. His sentence was to have his sword broken over his 
head in front of the " City Hall," and to be rendered incapable of 
holding any station of trust or authority under the government. He 
had, before this, purchased a large island in the East Eiver, whither 
he retired, and where it would seem his disgrace did not disturb his phi- 
losophy, for he entertained largely and was oue of the most facetious and 
agreeable of hosts. He settled the island upon Mary, the daughter of his 
wife by a former husband. This lady married Robert Blackwell, from 
whom the island received the name it has borne to the present time. 

Andros, by the Duke's order, seized the estate of Lovelace, and required 
all persons possessing any portion of it to render an account. He thus 
obtained possession of the " Dominie's Bouwery," which was added to 
the Duke's farm adjoining. He visited in person the towns on the 
eastern part of Long Island, and soothed the ruffled temper of the people, 
who prudently avoided any direct opposition to his authority. He alt in- 
wards wrote to Winthrop that Connecticut had done well for the king 
by her interference against the Dutch during the past year, but signifi- 
cantly hinted that henceforth New York would be quite able to stand 
without neighborly assistance. The town clerk of Newtown was kept an 
hour upon the whipping-post, in front of the City Hall of the capital, with 
a paper pinned to his breast, stating that he had signed seditious letters 
against the government, because he replied to the governor's proclama- 
tion reinstating the old town officers, with a frank statement (if former 
grievances under Lovelace. 

In March, Andros issued an order requiring every citizen of the,, , „ 

1 ° J March 13. 

province to take the usual oaths of allegiance and fidelity. The 
mayor and aldermen appointed Monday. March 13, for the purpose, 
and the mayor's court was in session at an early hour. Some of the 
18 



274 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

leading men, including several of the city magistrates, requested that 
before they proceeded with the business, Andros should confirm the 
pledge of Governor Nicolls, " that the capitulation of August, 1664, was 
not in the least broken, or intended to be broken, by any words or 
expressions in the said oath." As they understood it, this capitulation 
had been confirmed by the sixth article of the Treaty of Westmin- 
ster; and such seems to have been the opinion of the Duke himself. 
The mayor, Matthias Nicolls, claimed to know nothing of any such 
pledge on the part of the former governor, and evinced much surprise 
when a copy was produced. The gentlemen declared that they only 
wished to be assured of future freedom of religion, and exemption 
from the duty of fighting against their own nation in time of war. 
But Andros fancied he detected something of covert mutiny, and 
haughtily required them to take the oath without qualification. There- 
upon a petition was drafted, asking the governor to accept the oath in 
the manner and form approved by Nicolls, or to allow the parties con- 
cerned to dispose of their estates and remove elsewhere with their 
families. It was signed by Cornells Steenwyck, Johannes Van Brugh, 
Johannes De Peyster, Nicholas Bayard, vEgidius Luyck, William Beek- 
man, Jacob Kip, and Anthony De Milt. It was promptly rejected by 
Andros, without discussion, and its eight signers were immediately 
arrested and imprisoned, on a charge of trying to foment rebellion. 
Their examination took place in the presence of Andros and his council, 
Governor Carteret of New Jersey, and Captains Griffith and Burton, of 
the English frigates. Their case was turned over to the next Court of 
Assizes, and meanwhile they were released on bail. "When their trial 
came on, De Peyster was acquitted, through the taking of the oath ; 
the other seven were convicted of a violation of the act of Parliament in 
having traded without taking the oath, and their goods were accordingly 
forfeited ; but eventually the penalties were remitted by the prisoners 
taking the required oath, and thus the difficulty ended. 

About the first of May, Andros wrote to Winthrop, claiming for the 
Duke of York the country west of the Connecticut Eiver, and 

May 1. J 

sending copies of the Duke's patent and his own commission. The 

General Court of Connecticut replied that their charter came from the 

king, and that they shoidd rest upon the boundary arrangement of 1664. 

Andros demanded possession, which was flatly refused. He then 

equipped an armed force and sailed up the Sound, anchoring just 

off Saybrook Point, with the intention of reducing the fort. But he 

found the people prepared for a determined resistance, and was 

unwilling to take the responsibility of bloodshed. 



ROBERT LIYIXGSTOX. 



275 



He sent one of his sloops to Boston, with supplies for the aid of the 
New-Englanders, who were fighting the Indians. And, to prevent mis- 
chief nearer home, he crossed Long Island on horseback, disarming the 
Indians everywhere, and reviewing the militia. Upon reaching New 
York, he sent for the Long Island and New Jersey sachems, and renewed 
with them the old treaty of peace. The intrigues of the French mis- 
sionaries among the Iroquois having created disturbance, Andros visited 
Albany, Schenectady, and the warlike tribes one hundred miles beyond. 
He was entertained by the savages everywhere, and created a strong 
sentiment in favor of the English. The sachems, in the happiest temper, 
renewed their former alliance. Before he left Albany on his homeward 
journey, he organized a local board of commissioners for Indian affairs, 
of which he appointed Robert Livingston the secretary. 

This gentleman was a scion of an ancient and honorable Scotch family, 
whose lordly ancestors had drunk wine from king's goblets for cen- 
turies. His father was Rev. John Livingston, whose name ranks high in 
the Scotch Church, and who was one of the commissioners appointed by 
Parliament to negotiate with Charles the terms of his restoration to 
the throne, but who was afterward prosecuted with vigorous rancor 
for non-conformity, and obliged to take ref- 
uge in Rotterdam. 

Robert Livingston was a bold and adven- 
turous young man, and had been in the coun- 
try about a year. His ability and promise 
were so marked, that, within a week after his 
arrival, he had been made town clerk of Al- 
bany. He acquired great influence over the 
Indians, and retained the office which he re- 
ceived from Andros for a long series of years. 
He married, in 1683, Alida, the widow of 
Rev. Nicolaus Van Rensselaer and daughter 
of Philip Pietersen Schuyler. He was a man 
of strongly marked individuality, of original conceptions, of irrepressible 
opinions, of obstinate determination, of untiring acquisitiveness, and, for 
the age in which he lived, of no mean culture. He was, in short, a man 
to be remembered on his own account, independent of birth or connection. 
Yet his birth and connection gave him social position in the Old 
World, and were not without their advantage to him in the New ; 
for, on his frequent visits to England, in after years, the state policy 
of the colonial government or his own private interests were not in- 
frequently the better served through his standing in the society, and his 




'ingston Coat of Ar 



276 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

influence with the ruling classes, of the mother country. He was tall, 
and well developed in figure, with a somewhat cloudy complexion, brown 
hair, and dark, inscrutable eyes. He was polished in his manners, but 
careless of giving pleasure and indifferent to giving pain ; and withal, so 
icily impertinent at times as never to attain popularity in New York. He 
was of infinite value to the colony, for his energy and activity set in 
motion many a wheel which otherwise would have been long in turning. 

In October of the same year, the burning of Hadley, Deerfield, North- 
field, and Springfield induced Andros to seriously contemplate 
engaging the Iroquois to go to the aid of New England against 
the murderous Indians within her borders. Connecticut declined the 
offer of such assistance, insinuating certain reflections upon the Dutch, 
and upon the conduct of Andros. The latter replied satirically and 
demanded explanations. Samuel Willys and William Pitkin were sent 
by Connecticut to hold a personal interview with Andros at the 
7 ' fort. They asked permission to talk with the Iroquois at Albany. 
They were told that it was strange that a colony so jealous about their 
own concerns should seek to treat with separate portions of another gov- 
ernment. Andros, however, expressed his willingness to do all in his 
power to procure peace between New England and her Indian enemies. 
It was a time of great tribulation throughout the whole country. Pema- 
quid was, shortly after, burned, and Andros dispatched a sloop to Boston 
to bring the sufferers to New York. But Philip, the great Indian 
' chief who had instigated the war, was suddenly slain in a swamp, 
and these barbarous hostilities came to an end. 

The Connecticut boundary was still unsettled. The Duke wrote to 
Andros that he was willing things should rest as they were for the pres- 
ent. As to assemblies — for which New York had petitioned — he said 
they were useless and dangerous, apt to assume to themselves too many 
privileges, and hazardous to the peace of the government ; but he added, 
"Howsoever, if you continue of the same opinion, I shall be ready to 
consider any proposals you shall send, to that purpose." 

Since the Peace of Westminster, American affairs had been restored to 
the immediate control of the crown, through the dissolution of the Coun- 
cil for Plantations and the transfer of the records to the Privy Council. 
It was the intention to strictly enforce the navigation and custom laws 
in the colonies. This caused, for a time, a cessation of trade between 
New York and Boston (since no European goods might be imported from 
one place to the other without the payment of customs in England), 
and produced misunderstandings and heartburnings between the two 
colonies. 



CITY IMPROVEMENTS. 277 

Andros took an active personal interest in city affairs. He advised 
and suggested laws for correcting morals, suppressing profanity and 
intemperance, and punishing Sabbath-breakers. The city gates were 
closed at nine o'clock and opened at daylight. Every citizen was re- 
quired to possess a musket, with a small cpaautity of powder and ball, and 
to take part in the night watch, when called upon. Masters of vessels 
ciiiiiing into port must always furnish the mayor with a full list of their 
passengers, under penalty of tine. Peddling was prohibited, as freemen 
and burghers only were allowed to sell goods in the city. A number of 
good dwellings were erected, and all owners of vacant lots were ordered 
to improve them, under penalty of having them sold at public auction 
Nicholas De Meyer was the mayor in 1676. He was a merchant and an 
old resident ; his wife was the daughter of Hendrick Van Dyck. He was 
so ambitious for the prosperity of New York, and projected so many 
improvements, that Andros laughingly called him the " new broom," and 
charged him with sweeping all the rubbish into the ditch at Broad Street. 
That famous canal was, during the year, filled and made level with the 
rest of the land about it. The tan-pits which it had hitherto contained, 
and which had been complained of as a nuisance by the dwellers in the 
vicinity, were removed and established along Maiden Lane, where there 
was a marshy valley and a similar influx of water. One company, con- 
sisting of four shoemakers who were also tanners, bought a piece of land 
bounded by Maiden Lane, Broadway, Ann Street, and a line between 
William and Gold Streets, and prosecuted a flourishing business. 
Slaughter-houses were ordered out of the city limits, and were afterwards 
located over the water at " Smit's Vly," which was so called from a 
blacksmith who set up a forge on the corner of Maiden Lane and Pearl 
Street, and intercepted the custom of the Long Island farmers on their 
way to the city. Six wine and four beer taverns were licensed. No 
grain was allowed to be distilled unless unfit for flour. Everybody was 
allowed to cut wood on the island, at a distance of one mile from a house. 
The fort was repaired. Andros removed the kitchen of the governor's 
house, over which was the old armory, because the roof was leaky and 
rotten. Presently arose a new building in its place. He removed the 
tiles from the roof of the main edifice and substituted shingles. He set 
stockades around the fort, to protect it from animals, and closed the gate 
upon the water side. He also placed the arms of the Duke of York over 
the Broadway entrance. 

In 1677, Stephanus Van Cortlandt was appointed mayor. He 
was the son of Oloff S. Van Cortlandt, and the first native-born 
citizen who had filled the office. He was some thirty-four years old, of 



278 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

fine presence, with commanding countenance and courtly bearing. He 
had been trained under a learned tutor in the severe and thorough men- 
tal culture which distinguished his parents, and was, in many respects, a 
brilliant character. His wealth was enormous. His wife — whom he 
married in 1671 — was the beautiful Gertrude Schuyler of Albany, one of 
the few chosen friends of Lady Andros. They lived in a handsome and 
well-furnished house, on the corner of Broad and Pearl Streets, and sub- 
secpiently built the Cortlandt manor-house on the Hudson. 

It was he who carried into execution the digging of the first public 
wells in the city. They were six in number, each located in the middle 
of a street. Water was not plentiful in them, and that little was brack- 
ish. But they were esteemed a security against fires, if of no greater value. 
The same year, a new dock was built, at the expense of the property- 
owners. The old graveyard on the west side of Broadway was sold off 
in building-lots, each one of which extended to the river's edge. At this 
date, there were sixty-five dwellings on Broadway. . Francis Bombouts's 
home, upon or near the site of Trinity Church, was the handsomest of 
them all. It had been lately enlarged and beautified, and its pictu- 
resque gardens and grounds extended even to the water below. Bom- 
bouts was an educated Frenchman, of high birth and large wealth. In 
the year following Van Cortlandt's mayoralty he was appointed mayor. 

This was the year noted for the passage of the celebrated " Bolting 
Act," which secured to the citizens of New York the exclusive 
right of bolting flour, and exporting it from the province, — an 
act which, during the sixteen years of its existence, trebled the wealth 
of the city. It created great dissatisfaction in the inland towns, and, 
through their united efforts, it was finally repealed, in 1694. But 
meanwhile six hundred houses had been erected, land had increased to 
ten times its former value, and the shipping had multiplied into sixty 
full-sized vessels, which were in constant use for the transportation of the 
golden fruits of the monopoly. 

The most important measure of the year 1679 had reference to Indian 
slaves. Many of the natives of the Spanish West Indies were 
held in bondage, and also some of the Indians of New York. It 
was resolved, that " all Indians here have always been and are free, and 
not slaves, except those brought from foreign parts. But if any shall be 
brought hereafter into the province within the space of six months, they 
are to be disposed of out of the government as soon as possible. After 
the expiration of six months, all that shall be brought here shall be as 
other free Indians." 

Andros spent the winter of 1678 in England, by special permission. 



XEano sla VES. 



279 



He told the Duke that the greatest want in New York was that of 
servants. Few negro slaves had been brought in of late, and their value 
was greatly increased. They cost from thirty to thirty-five pounds each. 
He said the value of the estates in the province amounted to about one 
hundred and fifty thousand pounds. A merchant having five hundred or 
a thousand pounds was thought substantial ; and a planter worth half 
that in movables was accounted rich. "Ministers were scarce ami re- 
ligions many : but there were no beggars in New York, and all the pour 
were cared for." 

During the absence of Andros, Lieutenant-Governor Brockholls acted 
as commander-in-chief. Secretary Xiculls was next him in authority, 
both being instructed to consult, on extraordinary occasions, with the 
mayor of the city. Lady Andros was invested with a power of attorney 
to manage the governor's private affairs, and she fulfilled her task with 
credit. 




: At the first interview they stood so appalled as if the cjhosts of Luther and Calvin had 
suffered a transmigration."— Page 2S4. 



280 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

1678-1683. 
EUROPEAN AFFAIRS. 

European Affairs. — Prince of Orange in London. — Marriage of William and 
Mary. — Peace between Holland and France. — Jacob Leisler. — The Climate 
of New York. — The Minister's Supper. — Conversation in Latin. — Ecclesi- 
astical Troubles. — Hunting Bears between Cedar Street and Maiden Lane. — 
The two Labadists. — Jean Vigne. — The Travelers on Long Island. — Sleep- 
ing in a Barn. — The First Classis in America. — Movement to build a 
New Church. — The Uneasy Indians. — New Jersey. — Arrest and Trial of 
Governor Carteret. — East and West New Jersey. — Faulty Deeds. — Imperi- 
ousness of Andros. — William Penn's Sophistry. — Opinion of Sir William 
Jones. — Complaints against Andros. — Founding of Pennsylvania. — Recall 
of Andros. — Clamor for an Assembly. — Lieutenant-Governor Brockholls. — 
Almost a Colonial Revolution. — Long Island. — Insubordination. — An Assem- 
bly GRANTED. — THOMAS DoNGAN. — TlIE TRIUMPHAL MARCH. 

THE constitution of England had recently been violated for the pur- 
pose of protecting the Koman Catholics from the penal laws. It 
created the general fear that a blow was about to be aimed at the Protes- 
tant religion ; and the public mind was in such temper, that every move- 
ment on the part of the king was regarded with suspicion, as leaning 
towards Rome. 

Louis, still at war with Holland, carefully fomented these jealousies. 
As a neutral between the two fighting nations, England engrossed the 
principal commerce of the world. The Dutch, seeing their commerce lan- 
guish, while that of England nourished, naturally longed for peace with 
France. The Prince of Orange visited London, to enlist his uncle, the 
king, in the important undertaking, while negotiations were opened at 
Nimeguen on the Rhine. 

Charles received William cordially and affectionately ; and the young 
prince remained some weeks at Whitehall, talking with his two uncles 
about the proposed treaty. He was about to depart for Holland, when 
the king said to him, " Nephew, it is not good for man to be alone ; I 
will give you a helpmeet," — and thereupon offered him the hand of 



MARRIAGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY. 2X1 

his cousin Mary in marriage. James, who had been hitherto bitterly 
opposed to giving his daughter to a heretic, and who was ambitious 
withal to marry her to the Dauphin of France, gave his consent with 
seeming heartiness. William smiled grimly, showing no disposition, 
as on a former occasion, to decline the splendid alliance. " Nephew," 
added Charles, " remember that love and war do not agree well to- 
gether." 

The news of the intended marriage spread through the court. All, 
except the French and the Roman Catholic party, were much pleased 
with it. Barillon, the French ambassador, was amazed, and predicted 
that such a son-in-law would be the ruin of James. He sent a courier 
to the Court of France with the tidings, and Louis was moved more 
seriously than he would have been by the loss of an army. 

The marriage followed quickly. It took place on the 4th of Novem- 
ber, William's twenty-seventh birthday. The bride was fifteen 1577. 
the preceding Aprd. She had been educated with her sister Nov - *■ 
Anne at the Richmond palace, knew something of science and accom- 
plishments, spoke and wrote French well, sketched a little, read history 
attentively, and possessed some musical skill. Her chief faults, as a 
child, were love of eating and gambling. The latter amusement she 
persistently indulged in on Sunday evenings, to the great distress of her 
tutor. She had been confirmed in the Church of England by the Bishop 
of London, in obedience to the orders of the king. When first in- 
formed of her future prospects, she wept piteously in her father's arms. 
The ceremony was performed at nine o'clock in the evening, in her 
bedchamber, in the presence of the king and queen, the Duke and 
Duchess of York, and a few official attendants. Bishop Compton offi- 
ciated, while Charles gave away the sobbing Maiy, and, at the same 
time, little foreseeing the momentous consequences of such Dutch 
and British nuptials, attempted to overcome her dejection by noisy 
joviality. 

Two days later, Mary was deprived of her position as heiress pre- 
sumptive to the crown of England by the birth of a son to the Duke 
of York, and William was complimented with the office of sponsor to 
the unwelcome relative. But the little life was not destined to be of 
long duration. The bridegroom might have spared his pretty young 
bride the unhappiness of seeing him in constant ill-humor during the 
honeymoon. The whole court was surprised and indignant that she 
was rarely seen except in tears ; and, to add to her griefs, her sister 
Anne was lying dangerously ill of small-pox. On the 19th of Novem- 
ber, Mary sailed with William for Holland, Charles and James accom- 



282 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

panying them as far as Erith, where they bade them an ■ affectionate 
farewell. 

The conference at Nimeguen progressed briskly after William's mar- 
riage. Parliament voted supplies for a possible war with France, and 
recalled all English soldiers and sailors who had been on duty under 
Louis. But the chief source of anxiety was at home. Eeligious con- 
venticles had just then reached an insufferable pitch, and wild doctrines 
were being sown in all parts of the kingdom. The Titus Oates perjuries 
wellnigh produced a convulsion ; and presently the sight of James so 
inflamed the populace, that the king sent him, with his wife and daugh- 
ter, to Brussels. Mary met her father with the first sunny face she 
had worn since her gloomy wedding. He was soon ordered to Scot- 
land, and she accompanied him on the journey as far as the Maesland 
sluice, parting from him in an agony of sorrow. How, at that moment, 
she would have recoiled, could the future have been unrolled to her 
vision ' 

Peace was at length covenanted between the French and the Dutch. 
1678. Andros watched with interest the progress of events. He reached 
Aug. 1. England in January, and was at once knighted by the king ; 
after which he took a short holiday, to look after his private affairs at 
Guernsey. Upon his return to court, he attended the meetings of the 
Privy Council. Two agents from Massachusetts were present, and in 
great tribulation because of the seeming ill-favor of their colony at 
Whitehall. Andros took occasion to add still further to their trials by 
exposing the behavior of the Puritan colonies towards New York, particu- 
larly in connection with the late Indian war, — a subject which was imme- 
diately investigated by this supreme tribunal. He also gave a full and 
specific account of the internal administration of New York. The Duke 
required him to return immediately to his government, and he 
' sailed May 27, commissioned as Vice-Admiral over all the Duke's 
territory, and authorized to appoint a Judge, Register, and Marshal in 
Admiralty, to hold office during his pleasure. 

He made it his first business to order that none but New-Yorkers 

should trade with the Indians at Albany ; also, that no inland 

' ' towns should " trade over sea," and that all flour must be in- 

Aug. 24. 

spected in the metropolis. 

During this month, news having been received that Jacob Leisler, 

while on a trading voyage to Europe in one of his own vessels, had been 

captured by the Turks, the governor issued an order that the 

' church officers should collect money of well-disposed persons in 

the province for his redemption. Leisler himself paid two thousand 



THE CLIMATE OF NEW YORK. 283 

Spanish dollars towards the fund, and was soon after released, together 
with those who were in captivity with him. 1 

The first Judge in Admiralty appointed hy Andros was Mayor Stephanus 
Van Cortlandt. The aldermen of the city were to be assistants of the 
Provincial Court of Admiralty. Samuel Leete, the c'.ty clerk, was ap- 
pointed register, and Sheriff Thomas Ashton, marshal, of the court. This 
organization, substantially, existed for several years. 

Some gentlemen crossed the ocean with Andros, on his return voyage, 
who were destined to become prominent in public affairs ; among them 
were William Pinhorne, James Graham, and John West. Rev. James 
Wolley, a recent graduate of Cambridge University, came also as chaplain 
to the British forces in New York. He was called by his contemporaries 
" a gentleman of learning and observation ; sociable of habit and charita- 
ble in feeling." He published, after his return to England, "A Two 
Years' Journal in New York," which was highly appreciated. Despite its 
pedantry, and the fact that it gives a more detailed account of the 
Indians than of the European settlers, the work abounds in valuable in- 
formation. One paragraph, in relation to the climate of New York, is too 
curiously characteristic to be omitted. It is as follows : — 

" It is of a sweet and wholesome breath, free from those annoyances which 
are commonly ascribed by naturalists for the insalubriety of any Country, viz. 
South or South-east Winds, stagnant Waters, lowness of Shoars, inconstancy of 
Weather, and the excessive heat of the Summer ; it is gently refreshed, fanned, 
and allayed by constant breezes from the Sea. It does not welcome Guests and 
Strangers with the seasoning distempers of Fevers and Fluxes, like Virginia, 
Maryland, and other Plantations; nature kindly drains and purgeth it by Fon- 
tanels and Issues of running waters in its irriguous Valleys, and shelters it with 
the umbrellas of all sorts of Trees, from pernicious Lakes ; which Trees and 
Plants do undoubtedly, tho' insensibly, suck in and digest into their own growth 
and composition those subterraneous Particles and Exhalations, which otherwise 
wou'd be attracted by the heat of the Sun and so become matter for Infectious 

Clouds and malign Atmospheres I myself, a person seemingly of a weakly 

Stamen and a valetudinary Constitution, was not in the least indisposed in that 
Climate, during my residence there, the space of three years." 

Speaking of the temperature, he says : — 

" New York lieth 10 Degrees more to the Southward than Old England ; by 
which difference according to Philosophy it should be the hotter Climate, but on 

1 Ord. Warr. Passes, III. 219. Council Min., III. (II.), 178. Gen. Eat., XXXII. 65. 
Mass. Sec, V. 289. Col. Doc, III. 717. Doc. Hist., II. 2 ; III. 253. Laws of Maryland, 
1681. 



284 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the contrary, to speak feelingly, I found it in the Winter Season rather colder 
for the most part ; .... it is adjacent to and almost encompassed with an hilly, 
woody Country, full of Lakes and great Vallies, which receptacles are the 
Nurseries, Forges and Bellows of the Air, which they first suck in and contract. 
then discharge and ventilate with a fiercer dilatation." 

The inhabitants of New York he called " a elan of high-flown Religion- 
ists " ; yet he said they were very hospitable and often invited him to 
their houses and tables, the last overture usually including a generous 
bottle of Madeira, He made a personal endeavor to promote good feeling 
among the clergymen of the different denominations in the city. He 
says: — 

" There were two other Ministers, or Dominies as they were called there, the 
one a Lutheran, or High-Dutch, the other a Calvinist, or Low-Dutchman, who 
behaved themselves one towards another so shily. and uncharitably as if Luther 
and Calvin had bequeathed and entailed their virulent and bigoted Spirits upon 
them and their heirs forever. They had not visited or spoken to each other with 
any respect for six years together before my being there, with whom I being 
much acquainted, I invited them both with their Vrows to a Supper one night 
unknown to each other, with an obligation, that they should not speak one word 
in Dutch, under the penalty of a bottle of Madeira, alledging I was so imperfect 
in that Language that we could not manage a sociable discourse. So accordingly 
they came, and at the first interview they stood so appaled as if the Ghosts of 
Luther and Calvin had suffered a transmigration, but the amaze soon went off 
with a salve tu quoque, and a Bottle of Wine, of which the Calvinist Dominie 
was a true Carouzer, and so we continued our MensaMa the whole evening in 
Latine, which they both spoke so fluently and promptly that I blushed at my- 
self with a passionate regret that I could not keep pace with them ; and at the 
same time could not forbear reflecting upon our English Schools and Universi- 
ties (who indeed write Latine elegantly) but speak it, as if they were confined 
to Mood and Figure, Forms and Phrases, whereas it should be their common 
talk in their Seats and Halls, as well as in their School Disputations and 
Themes. This with all deference to these repositories of Learning. As to the 
Dutch Language, in which I was but a smatterer, I think it lofty, majestic and 
emphatical, especially the High-Dutch, which as far as I understand it is very 
expressive in the Scriptures, and so underived that it may take place next the 
Oriental Languages, and the Septuagint." ' 

The Calvinist minister referred to was Dominie Nieuwenhuysen, who 
died in 1681, and the Lutheran was Dominie Bernhardus Frazius. They 
were both men of vast scholastic acquirements. The language of Borne 

1 WoUei/s Journal, 55, 56. 



ECCLESIASTICAL TROUBLES. 285 

had not then lost its " imperial " character, and to speak it well was much 
more common than in later times. But the literary accomplishments 
of the Englishmen of that generation seem to have been less solid and 
profound than at either an earlier or a later period. Dominie Nieuwen- 
huysen was an excellent pastor, notwithstanding that, outside of his own 
flock, he sometimes exhibited more zeal than charity. He took excep- 
tions to the clerical conduct of Dominie Van Rensselaer, whom Andros 
sent to Albany as colleague to Dominie Schaats, and openly declared 
that a minister ordained in England by a bishop was not qualified to 
administer the sacrament in the Reformed Dutch Church. He even 
went so far as to forbid Dominie Van Rensselaer to baptize children, 
which occasioned much ill-feeling; but, at the trial of the latter before 
the governor, Nieuwenhuysen was obliged to admit the validity of 
English Episcopal ordination. Fresh ecclesiastical troubles broke out 
the next year (1676), when Jacob Leisler, one of Dominie Van Nieu- 
wenhuysen's deacons, accused Dominie Van Rensselaer of "false preach- 
ing" and of uttering "dubious words." Van Rensselaer was arrested and 
brought to New York for trial; but he was acquitted, and Deacon Leisler 
and Jacob Milborne were ordered to pay all costs for "giving the first 
occasion of difference." J 

Between Cedar Street and Maiden Lane there was an orchard, owned 
by John Robinson. On one occasion, we are told, Mr. Wolley put off 
his clerical dignity and went out with a party to hunt bears in 
that locality. They pursued one until he finally betook himself 
to a tree, and crouched upon a high bough. A boy with a club was 
sent up, who, reaching an opposite branch, knocked away at the paws 
of Bruin until he came growling down, and fell, with a tremendous 
thump, to the ground. 

Mr. Wolley and his wife were frequent guests of Lord George Russell 
(then residing in New York), a brother of the celebrated Lord William 
Russell, who was beheaded in 1683. He speaks also in his Journal of 
Frederick Philipse, and his great wealth. He says skating was very 
much in vogue ; and he gives some pleasant glimpses into the exchange 
of presents on New Year's day. On his return to London, he took with 
him, as American curiosities, "a Gray Squirrel, a Parrot, and a Rac- 
coon." He sailed in a ship commanded by George Heathcote, a Qua- 
ker ; the same who was imprisoned by the governor of Massachusetts, 
in 1672, for delivering to his Excellency a letter without taking off 
his hat. 2 

1 Council Min., III. 54-59. Doc. Hist. N. Y., III. 526, 527. Brodhead, II. 288, 300. 

2 George Heathcote made numerous voyages to New York. At his death, he liberated 



286 HISTORY OF TEE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

In 1679, Jasper Dankers and Peter Sluyter, two travelers, appeared 
in New York, who had been sent from Europe by a religious sect, called 
Labadists, to find some suitable spot for a colony. The founder of the 
sect was Jean De Labadie, a native of Bordeaux, and he had made many 
converts to his doctrines among persons of learning. His public decla- 
ration that he was inspired and specially directed by Christ filled the 
clergy with dismay, and caused him and his followers to be driven to 
Westphalia and afterwards to Denmark. De Labadie died in 1674, at 
Wieward in Friesland, where the community had at last found per- 
manent quarters. Three years later, some of his disciples removed to 
Surinam, but did not remain there long. 

The two envoys to New Amsterdam were passengers on the Charles, 
one of Mrs. Frederick Philipse's vessels. Some of their experiences and 
observations are interesting enough to be recited. They landed about four 
o'clock on a September afternoon, and were invited to supper by a 
fellow-passenger, at the house of his father-in-law, Jacob Swart. 
The table was loaded with delicious peaches, pears, and apples. They 
were invited to spend the night, and graciously accepted the invitation. 
They went to walk in the fields, and saw trees laden with divers kinds of 
fruit in such overflowing abundance as they had never seen iii Europe in 
the best seasons. Upon their return to the house in the evening they were 
regaled with milk and peaches, and retired to rest and sleep, and dream 
of peaches on the morrow. The next day was Sunday, and, after partak- 
ing of an appetizing breakfast of fish and fruit, they went to church, "to 
avoid scandal," — as they said. They were not pleased, however, with the 
personal appearance of the minister, or with his manner of explaining the 
Bible; and as for his congregation, it was "too worldly." In the after- 
noon they were escorted by Mr. and Mrs. Swart and Mr. Van Duyne to 
a tavern, where a daughter of the old people lived ; but they found the 
place " uncongenial," and walked in the orchard " to contemplate the inno- 
cent objects of nature." They found a mulberry-tree, with leaves as large 
as a plate. Towards evening they called upon one of Mr. Swarfs neigh- 
bors. His name was Jean Vigne. He was the first male child born in 
New York of European parents. The date of his birth, according to these 
travelers, must have been 1614, the very earliest period of white settle- 
ment. 1 His mother owned a farm near Wall and Pearl Streets. He was, 

three negro slaves, ami gave to Thomas Carlton five hundred acres of land near Shrewsbury, 
New Jersey, to be called "Carlton Settlement." He also constituted his nephew, Caleb 
Heathcote, residuary legatee. Will, dated Nov., 1710, Surrogate's Office, N. Y. 

1 This statement does not in any manner conflict with the record which confirms Sarah 
de Rapalje as the first born "Christian daughter" in New Netherland. Long Island Hist. 
Hoc. Coll., I. 113. Benson's Memoir in N. Y. H. S. Coll., II. (Second Series) 94. 



THE TRAVELERS ON LONG ISLAND. 



287 




2w of the Water Gate (present Wall Street). 
(From a pencil-sketch by Dankers and Sluyter ) 



They 

Sept. 29. 



at this time, in possession of the old homestead, and kept an ancient 

wind-mill constantly at work upon the hill back of his house. He was 

a brewer, as well as a farmer; and he was one of the great burghers 

of the city. He fdled 

the office of schepen in 

1663, in 1655, and in 

1656. Of his three 

sisters, Maria married 

Abraham Verplanck, 

Cristina was the wife 

of Dirck Volckertsen, 

and Rachel the second 

wife of Cornells Van 

Tienhoven. Jean Vigne 

left no children ; but 

the descendants of his 

sisters are scattered through the country. 

On the 29th the explorers made a journey to Long Island, 
describe their route from the ferry as "up a hill, along open 
roads and woody places, and through a village called Breuckelen, 
which has a small ugly church standing in the middle of the road"! 
Peach-trees were everywhere numerous, and laden with fruit ; in some 
instances actually breaking down with their treasures. They visited (In- 
oldest resident, a woman who had lived in this country over half a 
century, and who had seventy children and grandchildren. They spent 
one night at the house of Simon De Hart, where they supped on raw 
and roasted oysters, a roasted haunch of venison, a wild turkey, and a 
goose, and sat before a hickory fire blazing halt-way up the chimney, all 
the chilly autumn evening. The house is stdl standing, having been in 
the possession of the descendants of Simon De Hart ever since. 

In the morning they went out through the woods to what is now 
Fort Hamilton, where the Najack Indians resided upon land which 
Jaccpies Cortelyou had long since bought of the sachems, and at pres- 
ent rented to them for twenty bushels of corn yearly. They rambled 
along the shore to Coney Island, and from one Indian village to another, 
eating peaches and wild grapes by the way, aird coming every now and 
then upon "great heaps of watermelons." They visited New Utrecht, 
and were kindly entertained by Jaccpies Cortelyou. The town and 
everything in it had been burned a short time before ; but some good 
stone houses had been rebuilt, and among them this of Cortelyou's. He 
had two sick sons, and, with his wife, was so occupied in attending to 



288 HISTORY OB 1 THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

them, that he had little time to devote to his visitors. He invited them 
to stay as long- as it was convenient ; but the only place to sleep he could 
oft'er them was in the barn. So, after supper, they took up their quarters 
for the night upon some straw spread with sheep-skins, " in the midst 
of the continual grunting of hogs, squealing of pigs, bleating and cough- 
ing of sheep, barking of dogs, crowing of cocks, and cackling of hens"; 
much to their discomfort, as would appear from their journal, although 
they were less disposed to complain when they discovered that they 
were occupying the usual bed of one of Cortelyou's sons, who had crept 
into the straw behind them. They said Cortelyou was a mathematician, 
a sworn land-surveyor, and a doctor of medicine. 






(From a pencil-sketch by Dankers and Sluyter.) 

After an extended tour over Long Island, they returned (October 4) to 
New York, and remained in the city about a month. On .Sunday, 

Oct. 4. 

October 15th, they attended the Episcopal service in the Dutch 
church in the fort, conducted by Mr. Wolley. There were not above 
twenty-five or thirty people present. They said, "after the 
prayers and ceremonies, a young man went into the pulpit, who 
thought he was performing wonders : he had a little book in his hand, 
out of which he read his sermon, which was about a quarter of an hour 
long. With this the services were concluded, at which we could not he 
sufficiently astonished." 

They evidently worked with great zeal to make converts to their own 

faith, and scattered their admonitions loftily among the sinners of the 

country. The peculiarity of their movements attracted the attention 

of the better class of the inhabitants, of whom they had seen hut little ; 

i68o. and when, in January, they returned from Westchester and adja- 

jan.3. cen t towns, they were summoned before the mayor to give an 

account of themselves, and to explain the object of their travels. This 

done, they were dismissed with the caution not to attempt to go to 

Albany without a passport from the governor. After obtaining 

this document, they sailed, on the 20th of February, up the Hud- 



THE FIRST CLASSIS IN AMERICA. 



289 



son. They also traveled through New Jersey and the Delaware Bay 
region. And they persuaded many persons (among whom were Ephraim 
Heermans and Peter Bayard) to leave their wives and join the Labadists. 
In June they sailed for Europe. Their journal was published, in L867, 
by the Long Island Historical Society, under the supervision of Hon. 
Henry C. Murphy, who procured the original manuscript in Holland. 
It is deeply to be regretted that the portion relating chiefly to the me- 
tropolis has been hopelessly lost. 




View of New York from the North. 
(From a pencil-sketch by Dankers and Sluyter.) 

The first classis ever held in America consisted of Dominies Nieuwen- 
huysen and Schaats, Dominie Van Zuuren of Long Island, and Dominie 
Van Gaasbeeck of Esopus. It was formed in 1679, at the suggestion of 
the Episcopal governor, and for the purpose of examining and ordaining 
a vimn" licensed Bachelor in Divinity, Peter Tesschenmaeker, who 

° . Juie 30. 

had been called to the church at Newcastle. This novel proceed- 
ing was approved by the supreme ecclesiastical judicature at Amsterdam. 
The church edifice in the fort having become too small to accommodate 
the congregation, a meeting was called at the suggestion of Andros, in 
June, 1680, to consider the best measures for building a new one. 
Several members of the Council and other leading citizens were present, 
together with the Dutch and English clergymen. It was voted to raise 
money by " free-will or gift," and not by public tax ; and it was cordially 
agreed that the new church should be a quarter larger than the old one. 
The mayor and aldermen appropriated certain fines towards the fund. 1 

1 Doc. Hist. X. ]'., III. -244, 265. Gen. Em., XXXII. 65. Col. Doc, III. 315, 415, 
717. Later of Dominie Selyns to Classis, October 28, 1682. Brodhead, II. 331. Records of 
Collegiate Dutch Church, Liber A, 161, 162. 
19 



290 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Meanwhile, the English claim of sovereignty over the Iroquois, which 
had been asserted by Andros, roused the French king, Louis. In the 
unsettled condition of European politics, he could not take a decided 
stand with respect to his interests in America; hence he resorted to 
intrigue. The Jesuit missionaries were the instruments of his purpose. 
They made presents to the Indians and sought to incline them towards 
the French ; while, to prevent this, Andros was compelled to increase 
his watchfulness. About this time, one of the French ministers argued 
long and earnestly with his sovereign that a war with New York and 
New England must redound to the advantage of Canada. 

The governor of Maryland wrote to Andros that " strange Indians " 
were doing mischief along the Susquehanna; the governor of Virginia 
complained of " unknown Indians " committing thefts and murders with- 
in his jurisdiction ; and, in the depth of winter, the New York governor 
sent two Indian interpreters through the snows and storms to summon 
the Iroquois to a conference in Albany. The difficulty was settled for 
the time ; but, the next season, it broke out afresh in a still more com- 
plicated form, and again Governor Andros was compelled to meet the 
Iroquois warriors, and discuss with them the question of mutual relations 
and the duties of the future. 

New Jersey for a while carried on a direct trade with England. But 
Andros saw fit to put into rigid execution the Duke's order, that all 
vessels trading within his original territory shoidd enter at the New 
York custom-house. Thereupon the Assembly of East Jersey passed 
an act to indemnify any ship which might be seized by the government 
of New York for entering and clearing at Elizabethtown. An interesting 
quarrel was at once inaugurated. 

Andros and Carteret were kinsmen, and socially intimate. Carteret 
was in the habit of attending Sabbath service in the fort, and of dining 
often at Sir Edmund's table. The wives of the two gentlemen were as 
devoted to each other as sisters. All at once a chill fell upon this 
friendly intercourse. Andros seized every Jersey-bound vessel and ex- 
acted duties before allowing it to proceed from Sandy Hook to Elizabeth- 
town. Carteret claimed to be the supreme governor of his province, 
and complained to Sir George. Andros sent Collector Dyer to England, 
to justify his past course and to ask instruction for the future. 

The political storms in his immediate horizon prevented James from 
giving proper attention to his American possessions. He was, at this 
moment, absent from England. His secretary admonished Andros to 
continue the maintenance of the Duke's prerogative throughout his 
territory. As soon as Dyer returned with the order, Andros notified 



ARREST AXD TRIAL OF GOVERNOR CARTERET. 291 

Carteret that he should erect a fort at Sandy Hook; and Carteret 
replied, that he should resist such a proceeding to the last. Andros sent 
Secretary Nicolls into New Jersey with a proclamation, forbidding Car- 
teret to exercise any further authority within the Duke's province, and 
demanding the surrender of his person. Carteret appealed to the king. 
But the people of New Jersey sustained Carteret, to whom they were 
much attached, and Andros was deterred by their loyalty from resorting 
to extreme measures. 

The latter went over to New Jersey, and the rumor of his coming 
induced Carteret to collect a large force for defense. But Andros 
making his appearance unattended by soldiers, he was invited to Car- 
teret's house, where the contending parties dined together and held a 
long conference over their difficulties. Each produced papers and patents 
in support of the righteousness of his course, and both were undoubtedly 
actuated by the honest motive of obedience to superiors. Yet they 
arrived at no amicable understanding. 

Three weeks later, Andros caused the arrest of Carteret. The un- 
guarded country-house of the latter was entered, in the night, by 
a band of armed men, who dragged him naked from his bed, and P 
carried him in this condition to New York, where, after being furnished 
with clothes, he was thrown into prison. The charge against him was 
that of " unlawfully assuming jurisdiction over the king's subjects." 
He was tried before a special Court of Assizes, over which Andros 
presided in great state. The prisoner was allowed to plead his own 
cause ; and he did so with lawyer-like skill and learning. In the first 
place, he denied the power of such a court to settle a question which 
involved the right of a king, and, indeed, refused to acknowledge its juris- 
diction. He was quite willing, he said, to have his actions thoroughly 
investigated ; and, expressing his astonishment that Andros should pretend 
to have never recognized him as governor of New Jersey, he produced 
several letters addressed by Sir Edmund to himself under that title. 

Andros responded quickly, that the letters had been so addressed 
because Carteret had generally been styled governor, not because he 
was so in fact. " But," said Carteret, " the king has made me governor, 
and you, as well as all the world, have acknowledged me as such." The 
royal commissions to the two men were produced, and it was found that 
the one to Carteret was older than the one to Andros. " Mine, therefore, 
should be preferred," said Carteret. " By no means," exclaimed Andros, 
"mine being the younger, yours is annulled by it." "That remains to 
be shown," rejoined Carteret ; and he produced letters from Charles 
himself, directed to the governor of New Jersey. The honest verdict 



292 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

of a New York jury set Carteret free ; but he was obliged to give 
security, that, if he was allowed to return home, he would assume no 
authority, civil or military, until his case was decided in England. 
Governor and Lady Andros, accompanied by a number of personal 
friends, escorted Carteret to Elizabethtown, with distinguished ceremony ; 
and Andros proceeded to commission civil and military officers in the 
principal towns of East Jersey. 

West Jersey was under the control of Quakers, who complained most 
bitterly of Andros and his high-handed proceedings. The root of the 
trouble was at Whitehall. When Lord Berkeley parted with his undi- 
vided interest in New Jersey, he could give only a doubtful title. When 
William Pemi and his associates sent an agent to take possession, Andros, 
without in any way exceeding his instructions, directed that, as no proper 
authority had been produced, the parties concerned were not to be treated 
as proprietors of lands, and all duties were to be collected from them as 
from other English subjects. Fenwick, the agent, was arrested for diso- 
beying orders, and tried before a special Court of Assizes. The affair 
created a stir in London ; and James persuaded Sir George Carteret to 
consent to a quinquepartite deed, in partition with Penn and his partners, 
by which they agreed upon a dividing line from Little Egg Harbor to the 
most northerly branch of the Delaware River. The two provinces were 
to lie called henceforward East and West New Jersey. Tins famous 
instrument was the most remarkable for extraordinary faults of all the 
extraordinary and faulty parchment deeds in the early American annals. 1 
The Duke's secretary wrote to Andros, that his master had no intention 
of parting with any of his prerogative by this arrangement, but wished 
to make a show of favor to the imperious Sir George. 

The co-proprietors of West New Jersey at once appointed commis- 
sioners to look after their government matters, and Fenwick in particular. 
These commissioners embarked on board the ship Kent. As the vessel 
was lying in the Thames, King Charles came alongside in his pleasure- 
barge, and, seeing a large number of passengers, and learning where they 
were bound, asked if they were all Quakers, and gave them his blessing. 
When they arrived at Sandy Hook, the commissioners left the vessel, and 
went up to the city in a barge to pay a visit to Andros, who received 
them graciously and inquired if they had brought any orders from the 
Duke, his master. They replied that they had not, but quoted the transfer 
of the soil, with which the government of West Jersey was also conveyed. 

"That will not clear me," replied Andros, with emphasis, "if I 

1 Dixon's Penn., 138. Whitehead, 67, 68. Gordon, 38. Learning and Spiecr, 61 - 72. 
Proud, I. 142. Brodhead, II. 301. 



IMPERIOUSNESS OF ANDROS. 293 

should surrender without the Duke's order, it is as much as my head is 
worth. But if you had but a line or two from the Duke, I should be 
as ready to surrender it to you, as you would be to ask it." 

The commissioners strenuously asserted their independence, and con- 
tinued to argue their case, until Andros, losing all patience, sprang to his 
feet, with head erect and flashing eyes, and, clapping his hand upon his 
sword, exclaimed, " I shall defend my government against you until such 
time as I am ordered by the Duke to surrender it." 

He softened, however, almost instantly, and assured the commissioners 
that he would do all in his power to make them easy until they coidd 
send to England for instructions; and in the mean time he would com- 
mission them to act as magistrates under him, in order that they might 
proceed to the transaction of business. Eenwick was released from con- 
finement and allowed to proceed with them to the Delaware, on condition 
that he should report himself in New York in the following October. 

The news produced a sensation at Whitehall. James, already threat- 
ened with exclusion from the throne on account of his Eomish faith, was 
moody and obstinate. He said that West New Jersey had no light to 
set up a distinct government, It was amenable to the laws established 
in New York. The English Secretary of State was consulted, and many 
of tin- most astute lawyers in the kingdom. William Penn elaborately 
argued his own case, and that of his Quaker associates. He insisted that, 
in Lord Berkeley's conveyance, powers of government were distinctly 
granted. Then, aware of the impossibility of proving the assertion, he 
hastened to allude to the Duke's present distressing circumstances and 
the jealousies of the people, and to suggest that kindness and justice now 
shown to Englishmen in America would seem to forecast the character 
of his Royal Highness's administration, in the event of his accession to 
the throne, and could not fail to enhance his popularity. Penn's peculiar 
fascination of manner, together with his feint of passive obedience, bound 
him closely both to the gracious Charles and the arbitrary James. He 
was much more skillful in reading their characters and practicing upon 
their weaknesses than they were in penetrating his specious purposes. 
Besides, he had a special hold on both. His father. Sir William Penn, 
had been Admiral of England ; and, at his death, the crown was in debt 
to his estate some sixteen thousand pounds. His subtle sophistry might 
have turned the scale, had truth been on his side. But, before the ques- 
tion was settled, the furious hate of the populace drove James again into 
Scotland, and, in his strait, he referred the whole matter to Sir William 
Jones, " the greatest lawyer in England," but a determined opponent of 
the " Tories," as the king- and his friends were styled. 



294 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Jones was a wary Parliamentarian advocate. Believing that an Eng- 
lish Parliament had the right, though the sovereign had not, to tax an 
unrepresented colony, he gave his opinion with great caution. He said, 
" I am not satisfied by anything 1 have yet heard that the Duke can 
legally demand duties from the people of those lands ; and, to make the 
case stronger against his Eoyal Highness, these inhabitants claim that, in 
the original grant to Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, there is no 
reservation of any profit, or so much as jurisdiction." J 

It was an ingenious report for a referee wishing to evade a decision or 
to becloud the truth. Several of the material facts in the case 
1680 ' were wholly ignored. For instance, Jones cited only the Duke's 
first grant, in 1664, and left out of the discussion both the Dutch con- 
quest of 1673 (which annihilated that grant) and the king's second patent 
to his brother, in 1674. But James had neither time nor inclination to 
contest the matter, and, without waiting for his own counsel to approve, 
he executed a deed the more firmly to convey West New Jersey 
to its purchasers, granting them all the powers which were ever 
intended to be granted to himself by the king. 

Scarcely was this accomplished, when Lady Carteret, the widow of Sir 
George (who had recently died), having received letters from Gov- 
ep ' ' ernor Philip Carteret, giving a detailed account of the treatment 
he had suffered from Andros, complained to the worried Duke ; and he, 
having just released all claim to the government of West New Jersey, 
and believing that he could do no less by East New Jersey, ordered a 
deed to that effect to be prepared. 

All at once, and from every side, complaints began to pour in upon the 

Duke concerning Andros. It was insinuated that he favored Dutchmen 

in trade, made laws hurtful to the English, detained ships unduly for 

private reasons, and admitted Dutch vessels to a direct trade, or traded 

himself in the names of others. Moreover, James was receiving constant 

offers to farm his revenue in New York, which differed " so vastly " from 

the accounts rendered by Andros, that he commissioned John Lewin as 

an agent to inspect all accounts and learn the true condition of affairs in 

his province. At the same time, he ordered Andros to report immediately 

i68i. in person. The latter, though surprised, was too good a soldier 

Jan. 6. no j t obey the summons to the very letter. He committed the 

government to Lieutenant-Governor Brockholls, and sailed January 6, 

1681, leaving Lady Andros (as he fully expected to return) in New York. 

While he was on his voyage to England, a royal parchment founded 

1 Clarke's James II., I. 588-600. Col. Doc, III. 284, 285. Chalmer's Annals, I, 240- 
626. Force's Tracts, IV. No. IX. BroMicad, II. 340-342. 



RECALL OF ANDROS. 



295 



the State of Pennsylvania. The subtle William Penn had petitioned the 
king for a region of wild land in North America, with a vague and unde- 
fined boundary, in payment of the debt due to his father's estate ; and, 
with shrewd geographical judgment, he had drafted his own patent. 
Lord Sunderland, Lord Baltimore, and other gentlemen, to whom the 
matter was referred, attempted to oppose this monstrous demand ; but 
Penn, having won over to his interests both the king and the Duke, soon 
accomplished his end. The charter of Pennsylvania, as it passed the 
Great Seal, granted to William Penn all the powers of a feudal chief, — 
the making of laws and the execution of the same, the appointment of 
officers, etc. But all laws were to be subject to the approval of the free- 
men of his province, and to the pleasure of the king ; and no taxes 
were to be levied nor revenues raised, except by a Provincial Assembly. 
The supreme power of the Parliament of England was acknowledged in 
the matter of regulating commercial duties. 

After the departure of Governor Andros, New York was in great con- 




(From a pencil-sketch by Dankers and Sluyter.) 



fusion. He had by accident, 
in the multiplicity of duties, 
omitted to renew by a special 
order the Duke's customs 
duties, which had expired 
the November before by their three years' limitation, which was un- 
fortunate indeed. This oversight having been discovered by the traders, 
they refused to pay duties upon what they imported into the prov- 
ince. Neither did they abate to consumers a farthing from the prices 
of the goods they were selling. Brockholls and his council decided that 
there was no power to continue expired taxes without orders from his 
Royal Highness. The question produced almost a colonial revolution. 
New Jersey was prospering under free-trade, at the expense of New York. 
Collector Dyer, at this time mayor of the city, was sued for detaining 
woods for customs, and forced to deliver them without payment. On the 



296 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

back of this he was accused of high treason for having levied the duties, 
committed to prison, and arraigned before a court specially summoned for 
his trial. His indictment was for " traitorously exercising regal power and 
authority over the king's subjects." A jury was sworn, and twenty wit- 
nesses were examined for the prosecution. Dyer pleaded " not guilty," and 
challenged the authority of the court. He refused to surrender the seal 
of the city and his commission as mayor, because he had received them 
from their common superior, Andros. The court finally decided to send 
him to England, to be dealt with as the king should direct ; and his 
accuser, Samuel Winder, was required to give five thousand pounds secu- 
rity to prosecute him in England. John West, the clerk of the court, 
excused its irregular action, because of " the novelty of the charge of 
high treason, and the present discord in the government here." 

It was soon noised about, that, in the new province of Pennsylvania, 
established by the king, no laws could be passed or revenue 
levied without the assent of a majority of colonial freemen 
represented in a local assembly. The old Dutch principle of "taxation 
only by consent " was quickly revived in New York. The jury which 
indicted Dyer declared to the Court of Assizes that the want of a Pro- 
vincial Assembly was a grievance. The clamor became so loud and 
determined, that John Younge, the high sheriff of Long Island, was 
appointed to draft a petition to the Duke, and his work was adopted 
by the court. It represented that the inhabitants of New York had, 
for many years, groaned under inexpressible burdens by having an arbi- 
trary power used and exercised over them, whereby a revenue had been 
exacted against their wills, their trade burdened, and their liberty en- 
thralled, contrary to the privileges of a royal subject; so that they had 
become a " reproach " to their neighbors, who were flourishing " under 
the fruition and protection of the king's unparalleled form and method 
of government in his realm of England." The Duke was therefore 
besought to rule his province henceforth through a governor, council, 
and assembly, — the latter to be duly elected by the freeholders of the 
colony, as in the other plantations of the king. 

Brockholls wrote to Andros by the same vessel which conveyed Dyer, 
as a prisoner, and this petition to the Duke, that the customs 
' were wholly destroyed and the province in the most terrible 
disorder. Meanwhile, Andros, on reaching London, had sent back an 
order to Brockholls to act as receiver-general of all the Duke's revenues ; 
but his afterthought came too late. The mischief had been done. Brock- 
holls, from lack of energy or some other cause, conveniently shirked 
the duty of meddling with the insolent tax-payers. Trade was sub- 



ALMOST A COLONIAL REVOLUTION. 297 

stantially free. Disorderly gatherings were held in various places, par- 
ticularly on Long Island, and peace and quiet were seriously dis- 
turbed. Brockholls suspended Derval from the council for impertinence ; 
and, in the absence of Secretary Nicolls and Collector Dyer, his only 
advisers were Frederick Philipse and Stephanus Van Cortlandt. Much 
of this spirit of insubordination arose from the Duke's own act, in recall- 
ing Andros, and sending over Lewin, as a sort of private detective. The 
latter, stupid and incompetent, was often insulted to his face, and his 
proceedings were branded as unlawful. When he returned to 
London, in December, he was examined by Churchill and Jeffreys. 
Secretary Nicolls and Collector Dyer were also questioned The result, 
was that Andros was exonerated from all blame whatsoever. He was 
even complimented upon the marvelous success of his administration 
and made a Gentleman of the king's Privy Chamber. As this honor 
required him to live near London, he sent to New York for Lady Andros 
to join him in their ancient home. 

However much in after years Sir Edmund may have merited the 
appellation of "the tyrant of New England," he seems to have gov- 
erned New York with wisdom and moderation The position had its 
peculiar temptations; and besides, he was the executive servant of one 
of the most obstinate of men, — one who had no proper estimate of 
character and who was blind to universal principles. If, in trying 
to rule a mixed community of different nationalities, proclivities, and 
opinions, a faulty, imperious temper occasionally obtained ascendency 
over sober judgment, we can grant some measure of indulgence, in 
view of all the circumstances of the case. Andros was unquestion- 
ably diligent and sagacious ; and he did much towards bringing New 
York into a healthy political and financial condition. Certain it is, that, 
when he laid down the staff of office, anarchy followed abnost imme- 
diately. 

Collector Dyer, after waiting in vain in London for his prosecutor to 
appear, petitioned the king to be honorably acquitted ; and the petition 
was granted. In recompense for his losses, he was afterwards 
appointed surveyor-general of the customs in America. 

Long Island seems to have been a constant source of care and trouble 
to New York. In February, two prominent justices of the peace, 
Eichard Cromwell and Thomas Hicks, were arrested for disaffec- 
tion to the government, and bound over for trial at the next Court of 
Assizes. The minister of Huntington was "dealt with" for denying 
baptism to the children of those whom he charged with " loose lives." 
At Staten Island, and at Albany, there was trouble about their clergy- 



298 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

men. In the city of New York, the patriarch Dominie Van Nieuwen- 
huysen had gone to his rest; and the consistory of the Dutch church 
called, as his successor, Dominie Henricus Selyns, who returned to 
America, and entered upon a new and laborious service. There were a 
multitude of petty disturbances. Connecticut revived the boundary 
question. Frederick Philipse, having bought a tract of land, 

ay embracing Sleepy Hollow, and prepared to build a mill upon 
it, was informed that the Connecticut line ran to the south and west 
of his property. Thereupon a lively dispute arose between the gov- 
ernors of the two provinces. Brockholls knew that Connecticut was 
never to approach within twenty miles of the Hudson River, and pro- 
nounced the affair an attempt at swindling. Of course, the question 
was, in the end, referred to the Duke and the king. 

Meanwhile, William Penn, with the aid of Algernon Sidney, drew 
up and published for Pennsylvania a form of government and laws, the 
large benevolence of which presented a model worthy to be carefully 
studied by the Duke. Charles dissolved Parliament, being firmly resolved 
to govern thenceforth without one, and to stand up boldly against those 
who plotted to exclude James from the throne. The latter ventured to 
return again from Scotland ; and the royal brothers had many conver- 
sations about New York. It was clear, that, in order to collect a revenue 
in that province, an Assembly must be granted. It was simply a ques- 
tion of finance. The property was now a mere drain upon the Duke's 
purse. He talked seriously of offering it for sale. " No," said William 
Penn, with his Quaker hand laid lovingly on the shoulder of his Catholic 
friend, " keep the province, and give it the franchise." 

When James had once made up his mind to act upon this closet ad- 
vice, he was not slow in putting his plans in execution. He fixed 
ep ' ' upon Thomas Dongan as his future governor. This gentleman 
was a Eoman Catholic ; but his experience in France (where he had 
commanded an Irish regiment under Louis, during the French and Dutch 
war), and his general knowledge of the French character, were powerful 
recommendations at the present moment, when the delicate relations be- 
tween New York and Canada required the most consummate diplomacy 
on the part of the English. He was the younger son of Sir John Don- 
gan, an Irish baronet, and nephew to Richard Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnel. 
He was trained to the profession of arms, and had distinguished himself 
on many occasions. He had recently been lieutenant-governor of Tan- 
gier, in Africa. 

His appointment was confirmed a few days after the first mention of 
his name in this connection, and a commission was executed similar to 



THE TRIUMPHAL MARCH. 209 

that given to Andros; only, New Jersey was excepted from Ins juris- 
diction. The eastern boundary of Xew York was still declared to be the 
western bank of the Connecticut River. His special instructions con- 
tained an order to call a General Assembly. 

His departure for New York was delayed for some time. Another 
New Jersey episode required the attention of James and his min- 
isters. The grantees under the will of Sir George Carteret had 1683 ' 
conveyed East New Jersey to William Penn, Thomas Rudyard, and ten 
other Quakers ; and these twelve proprietors had each sold half his inter- 
est tn a new associate, thus introducing, among others, the Earl of Perth, 
the Earl of Melford, and Robert Barclay, the famous author of the 
" Apology." Barclay was appointed governor, with leave to execute his 
office by deputy ; and he sent, as his representative, Thomas Rudyard, to 
whom Philip Carteret resigned his authority. 1 The twenty-four proprie- 
tors, wishing to make their title more secure, asked of the Duke a special 
grant, which was finally executed, with an order from the king command- 
ing all persons concerned in the said province of East New Jersey to 
yield obedience to its lawful owners. 

Dongan then sailed, and, arriving at Nantasket in August, completed 
his journey by land. A number of gentlemen crossed the sea 
with him, and others hurried from New York to greet him and 
escort him through the country. Thus, the traveling party was quite an 
imposing one. They crossed from Connecticut to Long Island and 
stopped in the most important towns by the way. Everywhere, 
the people were assured that henceforward their rights as British subjects 
sin mid be respected, and no taxes should be imposed but by a Legislature 
of their own choosing. The current of popular feeling set strongly in 
favor of the new governor. He was easy and affable, and personally mag- 
netic. His sentiments met with the heartiest applause from all classes. 
His progress through the country was one triumphal march, and the city 
itself was in ecstasies at his arrival. 

On Monday morning he appeared before the mayor and aldermen at 
the City Hall, and published his commission and instructions. Aug. 27. 
On Tuesday a dinner was given to him by the corporation. Aug. 28. 

1 Philip Carteret died shortly after this event, and was buried in New York. His wife 
was the daughter of Richard Smith, the patentee of Smithtown, and the widow of William 
Lawrence of New York. She was a lady of more than ordinary endowments and strength 
of character, and was frequently intrusted with the affaire of the government of New Jer- 
sey during the absence of her husband. He was at one time in Europe for several months, 
and the acts of that period are recorded as "passed under the administration of Lady Eliza- 
beth Carteret." Whitehead's East New Jersey, 85. Hatfield, 212, 213. Brodhead, 11. 368. 
Thompson's Long Island. 



300 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



GOVERNOR THOMAS DONGAN. 

Governor Thomas Dongan. — Mayor William Bkekman. — William Penn in New 
York. — The first New York Assembly. — Laws enacted by the Assembly. — 
The New York Courts. — The Acts of the Assembly. — New York contented 
and prosperous. — dominie selyns's parsonage. — the iroquois a wall of de- 
FENSE. — A Brush with Connecticut. — Plot to assassinate Charles II. and the 
Duke of York. — Confusion in England. — Arguments in the Privy Council. — 
Arbitrary Measures. — The City Charter. —The Sabbath Question in 1684. — 
Hotels and their Guests. — Funeral Customs. — Powder Magazine. — Lord Ef- 
fingham in New York. — The Great Indian Conference. — The Auspicious New 
Year. — The Sudden Revulsion. — The Death of Charles II. — Scenes and Inci- 
dents. — James II. proclaimed King of England. — The new King's Promises. — 
The Gradual Grasp of Power. — Inconsistencies of James II. — Effect upon 
New York. — Juries in 1685. — Mason and Dixon's Line. — William Penn's In- 
fluence at Court. — The Donoan Charter. — New City Seal. — The Albany 
Charter. — The Livingston Manor. — Philip Livingston. 

/^\ OVEENOE THOMAS DONGAN was about fifty years of age, and 
\JC a bachelor. He had broad intelligent views on all subjects of 
general interest. He was, moreover, an accomplished politician. Perhaps 
we do not often enough reflect how effectively the spirit of one 
man, or of a few men, may decide the destiny of a state. Cool 
tempers and wise heads possess great power to give direction to the com- 
mon mind. This was a remarkable period. New York was passing 
through a crisis. Dongan was essentially a man for the times. He was 
a ready talker, bland and deferential to his associates, and fitted to in- 
spire confidence in all around him. He has been justly classed " among 
the best of our colonial governors." 1 

One clause in his instructions provided for the appointment of Fred- 
erick Philipse and Stephanus Van Cortlandt as members of his council. 
It also required him to summon other eminent men, to the number of 

1 Some years after, Governor Dongan succeeded to the Earldom of Limerick. At his death, 
his estates in America were settled upon three nephews, John, Thomas, and Walter Dongan, 
from whom those of the name in New York have descended. 



MAYOR WILL/AM BEEKMAN. 



301 



ten, to be sworn into Lis service as counselors. John Spragg was ap- 
pointed secretary of the province, in the place of John West, who had 
filled the office temporarily. West was an energetic and prosperous 
lawyer: he married Anna, the daughter of Lieutenant-Governor Rudyard 
of East New Jersey. 1 Lucas Santen was made collector of the reve- 
nues. The mayor of the city in L683, was William Beekman, 2 and he, 
with Stephanus Van < Wtlandt, Lucas San- 
ten, Gabriel Minvielle, and Captain Mark 
Talbot, were appointed a committee to re- 
port upon the condition of Fort James. 
Brockholls and Matthias Nicolls were di- 
rected to catalogue the provincial records. 
As soon as the matters of first necessity 
were settled in the metropolis, 
Dongan hurried to Albany. The' 
direct occasion of this sudden trip was a 
rumor that William Penn was attempting 
to secure to himself the Upper Susque- 
hanna Valley. He had actually com- 
missioned two agents to treat with the 
Indians about the purchase. One of 
these, James Graham, an alderman of 
New York, was already in Albany on this 
business when Dongan arrived from England. Nothing less than a per- 
sonal investigation of the whole matter could enable the new governor to 
pronounce upon its justice. Penn himself was in Albany, and the two 
gentlemen held a long conference. The question was a difficult one, 
since they were both subjects of the same master. Dongan, however, 
ordered a stop to all Penn's proceedings until the vexatious boundary 
between New York and Pennsylvania should be arranged ; and then 
courteously invited the wily Quaker to his house in New York, where he 
entertained him for several days Penn was engaged in a similar con- 
troversy with Lord Baltimore, the proprietor of Maryland, and when he 
left New York it was to push his claims to territory in that direction 




House. Rhmebeck. 



1 Thomas Rudyard was an eminent London lawyer. He died abroad in 1692. His daugh- 
ter Anna married, for her third husband, Governor Andrew Hamilton of Pennsylvania. His 
daughter Margaret married Samuel Winder, the prosecutor of Collector Dyer. Col. Doc., 
III. 351. 

2 William Beekman purchased all the region of Rhinebeck from the Indians, and built a 
small stone house, which is still standing. The bricks of the chimney were imported from 
Holland. The place was named from the river Rhine in Europe, upon the hank of which 
Beekman was horn. 



302 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

In October, the Mohawks visited Fort James, and agreed to give the 
" Susquehanna River " to New York. Dongan informed Penn at 
' once of the fact, " about which," he adds, " you and I shall not 
fall out ; I desire we may joine heartily together, to advance the interests 
of my master and your good friend." But Penn cared less for his "good 
friend's " interests than his own ; and when, a year later, he asked Don- 
gan's intervention in his difficulty with Lord Baltimore, he also requested 
permission to treat with the New York Indians for their Susquehanna 
territory. "Mr. Penn has already more land than he can people these 
many years," replied Dongan, and coldly dismissed the Quaker agents. 
The consequence was soon apparent. Penn became at Whitehall, whither 
he returned to keep up his interest at court, Dongan's bitterest enemy. 1 

The most important event of the year 1683 was the institution in New 
York of the long-desired colonial Assembly, by which the Duke of York 
allowed the inhabitants to participate in legislation. He retained in his 
own hands the power to appoint a governor and counselors, and thus 
maintained a certain degree of colonial subordination ; but he granted to 
the new legislative body " free liberty to consult and debate among them- 
selves in all affairs of public concern," and to make laws, which, if ap- 
proved by the governor, were good and binding untd confirmed or rejected 
by himself. In one respect, he inaugurated a more democratic govern- 
ment than was enjoyed in the chartered colonies of New England; for he 
gave to freeholders the right to elect their own representatives in an 
Assembly. He had watched those Puritan oligarchies with interest, and 
perceived that they were administered for the chosen few, and not for the 
unprivileged many. He abhorred all laws which made distinctions in 
religion. But he directed that such as were enacted in his province 
should be as similar as possible to those in force in England. 

Dongan issued writs for an election; and New York, Long Island, 
Staten Island, Esopus, Albany, Eensselaerswick, Pemaquid, and Martha's 
Vineyard proceeded to choose representatives. There was some show of 
dislike to a Boman Catholic governor among the remote Puritan towns 
on Long Island ; but the elections, for the most part, went on quietly ac- 
cording to the method prescribed by the governor and council. Eighteen 
assemblymen were returned, the majority of whom were Dutch. 

It was a memorable day in the history of New York, when the repre- 
sentatives of its freeholders first met together under British rule. 
They took their seats on the 17th of October. Matthias Nicolls 
was chosen speaker ; and John Spragg, clerk. They sat for three weeks, 

' Proud, I. 276. Penn. Arch., I. 76-84. Council Min.,V. 10, 11. Doc. Hist., I. 262, 
263. Col. Doc., III. 341-422. Golden, II. 64. 



THE NEW YORK COURTS. ,'{03 

and passed fourteen several acts, each of which, after three readings, \\ ;is 
approved by Dongan and his council. The first and most important of 
these was "The charter of Liberties and Privileges" granted by the Duke. 
It was simply and clearly worded in good Saxon English, 1 and embraced 
the main features of self-government and self-taxation which the people 
had so earnestly desired. The usual privileges of Parliament were eon 
ferred on the members of the Assembly. Entire freedom of conscience 
and religion was guaranteed to all peaceable persons who professed faith 
in God. And, in consideration of " many gracious and royal favors," and 
for the necessary expenses of the government, to the Duke and his heirs 
were granted certain specified duties on importations. The latter act was 
declared to be in force directly after its publication, which took 
place at the City Hall early on the morning of October 31. 
Dongan by proclamation ordered all persons to report dues to Collector 
Santen. 

The Assembly divided New York into twelve counties. But two of 
them, Duke's and Cornwall, embracing Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, 
Elizabeth Island, No Man's Island, and Pemaquid, with the adjacent 
islands, were soon after ceded to other governments. Another important 
act was " to settle Courts of Justice." Four distinct tribunals were es- 
tablished in New York : Town Courts, for the trials of small causes, to Vie 
held each month ; County Courts, or Courts of Sessions, to be held quar- 
terly or half-yearly ; a General Court of < her and Terminer, with original 
and appellate jurisdiction, to sit twice every year in each county ; and a 
Court of Chancery, to be the Supreme Court of the province, composed 
of the governor and council, with power in the governor to depute a 
chancellor in his stead, and to appoint clerks and other officers. But any 
citizen might appeal to the king from any judgment, according to a 
clause in the patent to the Duke of York. The first judges of the New 
York Court of Oyer and Terminer appointed by Dongan were Matthias 
Nicolls and John Palmer, both of whom had been bred to the law in 
England. 

A significant law for naturalizing foreigners was enacted. Louis XIV. 
was driving out of France all of his subjects who refused to acknowledge 
the Pope of Rome as the only Vicar of Christ, and numbers of the 
refugees were already in New York. Strangers from other lands were 
constantly arriving. The Assembly, as if imbued with the spirit of 

1 Brodhead, II. 3S4, Appendix, Note E. New Tork Revised Laws, 1813, II. Appendix, 
iii.,vi. SfunselVs Annals, IV. 32-39. Chalmers, I. 584. Bancroft, II. 414. Dunlap,ll. 
Appendix, xlii. Smith, I. 115. Journals of Legislative Council, Col. Doc., III. 341, '■'•■u - 
859 



304 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

prophecy, ordained, that all actual inhabitants of the province, except 
slaves, of what foreign nation soever, who professed Christianity, and 
who had taken or should take the oath of allegiance to the govern- 
ment, were citizens ; and that all Christian foreigners who should after- 
wards come and settle in the province could in like manner become 
subjects of the king. 

The acts of the Assembly were sent to England by Governor Dongan 
for the Duke's approval. The king objected to the words, "the people," 
in the expression, "the people met in a General Assembly," as being 
too democratic, and not in use in any other colonial constitution. But 
New York clung to them. Her first State Constitution, in 1777, de- 
clared that the style of all her laws should read thus : "Be it enacted by 
the People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly." 
And under her second Constitution, of 1821, she adopted the more direct 
formula : " The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and 
Assembly, do enact," etc. The Duke's secretary wrote to Dongan of 
several amendments which were proposed in the revenue part of the 
charter, advising that they be acted upon at the next meeting of the 
Assembly ; and it was accordingly done. The Duke finally signed and 
sealed the instrument. Owing, however, to serious events in England, 
it was not perfected by delivery. 

New York had a brief season of apparent content. Addresses of 
gratitude were sent to the Duke; the "integrity, justice, equity, and 
prudence " of Dongan were emphasized ; and loyalty was expressed in 
the strongest terms. New trading regulations were established, and the 
merchants of the city subscribed two thousand guineas in a stock com- 
pany to manage the fisheries and the Indian trade at Pemaquid. Taxes 
were paid cheerfully, and city improvements began anew. Quite a 
number of houses and stores were projected, and there was a healthful 
increase of business of all kinds. 

Dominie Selyns wrote to the classis of Amsterdam that his congre- 
gation were building him a parsonage "wholly of stone, three stories 
high, and raised on the foundation of unmerited love." He said Gov- 
ernor Dongan was a gentleman "of knowledge, politeness, and friend- 
liness"; that he had received a visit from his Excellency, and could 
call upon him whenever he chose. As for himself, he said, he had too 
much work for one person, as he could not neglect the surrounding 
villages, but preached in them on Mondays and Thursdays, adminis- 
tering the communion and attending other services. He spoke of a 
French colleague, Dominie Petrus Daille, late professor at Salmurs, and 
described him as " full of fire, godliness, and learning " ; he conducted 



THE IROQUOIS A WALL OF DEFENSE. 



305 



French worship in the old Dutch church in the fort between the Ik mis 
of the Dutch service in the morning and the Episcopal in the afternoon. 
Rev. Dr. John Gordon was the English chaplain. Dominie Dellius had 
just come out from Holland, and been installed as the colleague of 
Dominie Schaats, at Albany. 1 

The records of the transactions between Dongan and the Indians are 
among the most valuable and interesting documents of the times. The 
frontiers of New York had no protection against encroachments fruin 
the French, except the valor of the Iroquois. Their fighting men num- 
bered ten times as many then as they did a century later. They were 
subtle, restless, treacherous allies; and yet their importance, as a wall 
of separation between an unprotected colony and an always possible foe, 
was so apparent to the leading minds both in New York and England, 
that every effort which ingenuity could devise was put forth to win 
the favor of these renowned warriors. Dongan made the subject a care- 
ful study. Schuyler and Livingston, at Albany, were of great assistance 
to him, being familiar with the language and character of the various 
tribes. The Five Nations were a sovereign republic in themselves, and 
all their general business was performed by a congress of sachems, at 
Onondaga. As subsequent events proved, New York was indebted to 
them for her present northern boundary; for, had it not been for them, 
Canada would have embraced the entire basin of the St. Lawrence. 

Connecticut had been surly ever since Philipse began to improve his 
property at Sleepy Hollow. "Castle Philipse," a stone house, was erected, 
and fortified with great care 
against the Indians, in 1683 
(the same year that the new 
mill first began to grind the 
grain from all the country 
round). This building still 
survives, and the port-boles 
and loop-holes for cannon and 
musketry may yet be seen 
in its cellar-walls. A few 
years later (1699) Philipse 
built at his own expense, op- . Du,ch Church : sieepy Hoiiow. 

posite " Castle Philipse," a substantial church, which is now the oldest 
church edifice in the State of New York. But it was when Dongan 
notified the towns of Eye, Greenwich, and Stamford to "make present- 
ment " at the New York Assizes that Connecticut groaned aloud, and 




' Corr. CI. Amst. Murphy's Anil,.. 104, 105. Doc. Hist., III. 265, 535, 536. 



306 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

once more stirred the much-agitated boundary question She said all 
those places " indubitably " belonged to herself. Dongan responded, 
that advantage had been taken in 1664 of Nicolls's want of geo- 
graphical knowledge by running the line ten miles instead of twenty 
miles east of the Hudson River, according to agreement ; and that, if the 
territory was not yielded, he should proceed to claim the whole of the 
Duke's patent to the Connecticut Eiver. It was a perilous time for 
English charters, and wisdom clearly seemed the better part of 
' valor. Governor Treat, in great tribulation, summoned a special 
court at Hartford ; and commissioners were appointed to visit and 
confer with Dongan. Governor Treat, Nathan Gold, Secretary 
' Allyn, and "William Pitkin were the appointees, and journeyed 
on horseback to the metropolis. Dongan, attended by Counselors Fred- 
erick Philipse, Stephanus Van Cortlandt, Anthony Brockholls, and John 
Younge, met them, fortified with the testimony of several gentlemen who 
knew personally all the details of the boundary settlement of 
' 1664. The agents finally appealed to Dongan's magnanimity, 
asking to be allowed to retain some of their settlements on the Sound in 
exchange for ecpuivalent property inland. After much discussion, it was 
amicably arranged, that the boundary line should be removed a few miles 
east from Mamaroneck to Byram Eiver, between Rye and Greenwich, 
and run thence as it now remains ; and that this new line should be 
properly surveyed the next October. The Connecticut agents, after their 
return, notified the people of Rye that they " coidd not help " giving up 
that town, but that Dongan was a noble gentleman, and would do for 
their welfare whatever they should "desire in a regular manner." 

At that very moment England was in a political convulsion. A plot 
to murder the king and the Duke had been discovered. The details of 
the proposed butchery had all been arranged at a small farm near Lon- 
don, from which it was called the " Rye House Plot." There were, in 
reality, two plots, one within the other. The greater was a "Whig plot, 
to raise the nation in arms against the government, and the leaders knew 
nothing of the lesser, or " Rye House, Plot," in which only a few desperate 
men were concerned, under the delusion that to kill the scions of royalty 
was the shortest and surest way to vindicate the Protestant religion and 
the liberties of England. There were traitors among them, who divulged 
all and more than all, and the two plots were confounded together. The 
whole "Whig party were implicated, to a certain extent. Men of high 
rank were condemned and executed ; among them, Lord William Russell 
and Algernon Sidney. Politicians, in great numbers, were sent to the 
gallows. Convictions were obtained without difficulty from Tory juries, 



CONFUSION IN ENGLAND. 307 

and rigorous punishments were inflicted by courtly judges. The Court 
of King's Bench declared the franchise of the city of London forfeited to 
the crown. Flushed with victory, Charles proceeded to deprive of its 
charter almost every corporation in his realm. Then he granted ne\i 
ones, which gave power into the hands of the Tories. These proceedings 
were accompanied by au act, intended as a sort of pledge to his subjects 
for the security of their Protestantism ; for he was himself nominally the 
head of the Episcopal Church. Anne, the youngest daughter of James, 
who, like her sister Mary, had been nurtured a Protestant, lie gave in 
marriage to George, a prince of the orthodox house of Denmark, whose 
chief recommendations were his dullness and his Lutheranism. This was 
in opposition to the wishes of James ; but Charles said, " Brother, we 
must mollify England." And England, to a certain degree, was mollified; 
for James being near the age of the king, even if lie should outlive and 
succeed his brother, his reign would probably be short, and there was the 
gratifying prospect of a long line of Protestant sovereigns. 

Still further emboldened, Charles violated the plain letter of the law, 
and rewarded .lames for his acquiescence in the marriage of Anne by 
dispensing with the Test Act in his favor and restoring him to his old 
office of Lord High Admiral of England. Soon after, he took him into 
his Privy Council. It appeared by these successive trials that the nation 
would endure almost anything which the government had the courage to 
inflict. The hour of revolution was not quite yet. 

The king's acts were not approved by his ministers. Halifax, in par- 
ticular, objected to the long intermission of Parliaments, regretted the 
severity with which the vanquished Whigs were treated, and dreaded the 
reaction of public feeling. He urged tin' king to send the Duke to Scot- 
land, and the Duke pressed his brother to dismiss Halifax. At one of the 
last councils which Charles held, the Massachusetts charter was discussed. 
The king li ad made void his father's patent to that corporation, on the 
ground that the rulers there had abused their privileges by excluding 
from the freedom of their corporation those who did not agree with them 
in matters of religion. He had no sympathy with Puritanism, Hut 
how should Massachusetts be governed ' James suggested that the 
whole power, legislative as well as executive, should abide in the crown. 
Several of the lords were of the same opinion. Halifax argued with 
energy in favor of representative government. " Remember," he said, 
" that a population sprung from English stock and animated by English 
feelings will not long submit to he deprived of English institutions." 
James, in great heat, maintained the right of the king to govern his dis- 
tant countries in the way which should seem to him most convenient. 



308 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

" Life would not be worth having," exclaimed the unintimidated Halifax, 
•' where liberty and property were at the mercy of one despotic master." 

Charles hesitated. He was not altogether pleased with his brother's 
excessive zeal, and he was too indolent to act independently. But, in the 
end, it was settled that the king's sovereignty was to be resumed. Sir 
Edmund Andros was suggested as the royal governor for Massachusetts ; 
but he was at present occupied with private affairs in the Channel 
Islands, and Colonel Kirke, a dangerous, unprincipled despot, was chosen 
in his stead. He was commissioned with power to make laws and 
perform all acts of government, under the king, in New England; in- 
cluding Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and New Plymouth : 
Rhode Island and Connecticut were excepted from his authority. In his 
instructions, no mention whatever was made of a legislative assembly. 

James privately hoped to obtain from his brother (now more than ever 
indulgent) a special grant of Rhode Island and Connecticut. And all at 
once came a petition from Dongan and his council, and the mayor and 
aldermen of the city of New York, that the Duke would, either by pur- 
chase or otherwise, if possible, reannex East New Jersey to his province. 
The reason given was, that, " by reason of the separation, the trade of 
New York was diverted, to the injury of his Majesty's revenue." 

One of Dongan's special instructions from the Duke was, to grant the 
city of New York " immunities and privileges " beyond what any 
other parts of his possessions enjoyed. As soon as the Assembly 
adjourned, the mayor and common council petitioned for a confirmation 
of the " immunities " granted the corporation by Nicolls, with certain addi- 
tions, including the division of the city into six wards ; the annual elec- 
tion of aldermen and other officers by the freemen in each ward (the 
local government of the city to be intrusted to them, and to a mayor and 
recorder, to be annually appointed by the governor and council), with 
provisions that a sheriff, coroner, and town clerk be appointed in the 
same way ; that the corporation appoint their own treasurer ; and, finally, 
that whatever else was necessary for the welfare of the metropolis should 
be accorded as fully as to similar corporations in England. 

Objections were raised by Dongan to some of the proposed additional 
articles, but, after explanation and discussion, they were agreed to in 
almost every particular. The existing officers were reappointed : John 
West was commissioned city clerk ; and John Tudor, a London lawyer, 
was made city sheriff. James Graham was commissioned the first re- 
corder of the city of New York, and took his place upon the bench at the 
right hand of the mayor, Cornells Steenwyck. 

The board proceeded to divide the city into six wards ; assigning 



THE SABBATH QUESTION IN I684. 309 

Nicholas Bayard as alderman for the South Ward, John [nians for the 
Dock Ward, William Pinhorne for the East Ward, Gulian Verplanck for 
the North Ward, John Robinson for the West Ward, and William Cox 
for the Out Ward. They adopted various by-laws for the better govern- 
ment of the city. Among them was one, which said, " no youths, maydes, 
or other persons may meet together on the Lord's day for sporte or play, 
under penalty of a tine of one shilling." No public houses were allowed 
to keep open doors, or give entertainment on the Sabbath, except to stran- 
gers, under a tine of ten shillings. No manner of work was to be done 
on the Lord's day, under the same penalty, and double for eaeh repeti- 
tion. No children were allowed to play in the streets on the Sabbath 
day; and not more than four Indian or negro slaves might assemble 
together in any place, under a penalty of six shillings to their owners. 

The Sabbath question was, with the men of that day, one of morals 
and religion. They believed thai the roads which led to Sunday amuse- 
ments were in a contrary direction from that pointed out by the Christian 
Church. Their experience, as well as their education, had taught them 
thai the only way to build up and purify a community was to legislate 
for the proper observance of the Sabbath. Before, we welcome that Euro- 
pean Sunday of amusements which now seems about to invade our 
shores, let us well consider the effect of the Dutch and English and 
American Sabbath upon the character of the people that have been 
brought under its influence, and what it has contributed to the progress 
and the glory of three great nations. 

It was also enacted, that the proprietors of hotels should report all 
strangers who arrived, and never entertain any person, man or woman, 
suspected of a bad character, under penalty of a fine of ten shillings. 
Flour bolted in the city was to be inspected. Bolting was performed by 
horse-power, as water and steam bad not yet been utilized. Indians 
were allowed, by a special license, to sell firewood; also, to vend gutters 
for houses, — long strips of bark, so curved at the sides as to conduct 
water. All horses ranging loose were to be branded and enrolled. A re- 
ward was offered to all who should destroy wolves. 

A committee was appointed to collect ancient records of the city and 
its laws, for preservation. Surveyors were chosen, to regulate the manner 
of building, and preserve uniformity in the streets. A constable was 
appointed, to walk up and down, armed, and see that the laws were 
obeyed; a haven-master, also, to look after the shipping and collect the 
bills. There was a public chimney-sweep, whose duty it was to announce 
his approach by crying through the streets, and to cleanse the metropoli- 
tan chimneys at a compensation of one shilling or eighteen pence apiece, 
according to the height of the house 



310 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

An Iavitcr to Funerals was licensed by the mayor. The first man who 
served the public in that capacity was Conradus Vauderbeck ; his assist- 
ant was Eobert Chapman. They were required to serve the poor graft*. 
The customs of the period in respect to funerals were peculiar. No one, 
of any caste, thought of attending a funeral without invitation. The 
bearers were presented with mourning rings, silk scarfs, and handker- 
chiefs. In some cases, all the invited guests were presented with gloves. 
After the ceremonies of burial, they returned to the house to partake of a 
banquet, at which, if the means of the family allowed, the best of wines 
were furnished. 

A portion of the slaughter-house at Smits Vly, being at a safe distance 
from the city, was, this year, converted into a powder magazine, ami 
Garret Johnson was intrusted with its custody. 

By advice of the mayor and common council, Dongan issued a proclama- 
tion, prohibiting the packing or bolting of Hour, or the making of bread 
for exportation to any place within the government, except the city of 
New York. This was in addition to the former bolting monopoly, and 
was approved by the Duke, who was anxious to encourage the metropolis 
above all other cities. There were twenty-four bakers, who were divided 
into six classes, one for each working-day in the week. The price estab- 
lished by law for a white loaf of bread, weighing twelve ounces, was six 
stuyvers in wampum. 

In the summer of 1684, Lord Effingham, governor of Virginia, visited 
New York, accompanied by two of his counselors, for the purpose 
of inducing Dongan to join him in a war against the Five Nations, 
who had been committing outrages all along the borders of his territory. 
He was the first British peer upon whom was conferred the distinction 
of the " freedom of the city." He was the guest of Dongan, and the 
recipient of all manner of courtesies from the leading families. Sundry 
dinner-parties were given in his honor, which brought together the 
Philipses, Van Cortlandts, Bayards, Stuyvesants, De Peysters, Kips, 
Beekmans, and others. 

But serious work was before the government. Dongan and Lord 
Effingham went to Albany, where they were cordially welcomed by 
Schuyler and Livingston. Deputies from the Five Nations had been 
summoned to meet them, and were already on the spot. Counselor Van 
Cortlandt, who had been appointed agent for Massachusetts, to ratify 
with gifts and pledges the ancient friendship of New England and the 
savages, was also present. Lord Effingham opened the stately conference 
by an address to the sachems, recapitulating the promises broken and the 
outrages recently committed by them, and proposing to make "a new 



THE GREAT INDIAN CONFERENCE. 311 

chain" between them and Virginia and Maryland, "to endure even to 
the world's end." Dongan followed in a .similar strain of oratory. 
Taking advantage of the good feeling produced, a written sub- 
mission tu "the Great Sachem, Charles, that lives on the other side of 
the Cheat Lake." was obtained from the Iroquois. It was traced in legi- 
ble characters upon two white dressed deer-skins, which were to be sent 
to the " Sachem Charles," to put his name and red seal upon. By this 
instrument, all the Susquehanna River above the " Washuta," and all the 
rest of the land of the Iroquois, was confirmed to the Duke, as within the 
liimis of New York. 1 

The Indians requested that the Duke's anus should be put upon their 
east' supposing that this would protect them from the French. Dongan 
notii the French commander of Canada that the Duke's territory must 
not lit traded; but this did not prevent the most persistent and vexa- 
tious it 'eddling, ami a protracted series uf annoyances and alarms. 

The t lay. the sachems promised " to plant a tree of peace, whose 
tops will 'i the sun and its branches spread far abroad, to cover Vir- 
ginia, Ma. 1, and Massachusetts." Axes were buried in the south- 
east end o Ylhany court-house yard, and the Indians threw earth 
upon them. 

The incon 'e of having two distinct governments upon one river 

grew more am apparent. East New Jersey revived her old claim 

to Staten Islan "i Lady Carteret had tried in vain to establish in 

1081 ; printed -. freely distributed, so agitated the landholders 

that many of thei denied it a matter of prudence to secure their titles by 
obtaining additional patents from the East New Jersey proprietors. Judge 
Palmer, aud Dongan himself, having purchased valuable estates on Staten 
Island, are said to have done likewise. The Duke's secretary, who had 
witnessed the transfer of the Jersey lands, wrote to Dongan that there 
was no manner of color for such pretensions. The Surveyor-General of 
New York, Philip Wells, was accordingly ordered to layout Staten Island 
in such a way as to regard each owner's patent ; and Thomas Lovelace, 
the sheriff of Staten Island, was directed to summon all persons without 
proper land titles before the governor and council for examination. 

The new year opened auspiciously. New York was in a fair and 
promising condition. In gorgeous halls across the water, her sov- 
ereign, a man of fifty well-rounded years, healthy, robust, and gay 
almost to frivolity, surrounded by ladies whose charms were the boast 
aud whose vices were the disgrace of the age, and by gambling courtiers 

1 Col. Doc, III. 347-516. Colden (first ed.), 64, 65 ; ed. 1755, I. 55, 56. Penn Arch., 
1.1-21-125. Brodhead, II. 395-397. Doc. Hist. N. Y., I. 261-266. 



312 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

winning and losing mountains of gold in a night, was looking forward t<> 
a long life of ease and pleasure. 

A month rolled round. Scarcely had Charles risen from his bed on 
the morning of February 2d, than the gentlemen of rank, who 
had assembled as usual to chat with him while he was being 
shaved, noticed a strange look upon his face. An instant later, he uttered 
a loud cry and fell insensible into the arms of Lord Bruce. A physician, 
who happened to be present, quickly opened a vein, and he was laid upon 
a bed. The alarm was given, and all the medical men of note in London 
were summoned to the palace. One prescription was signed by fourteen 
names. He recovered his senses after a time, yet lay in a condition i >f 
extreme danger. The queen hung over him, and the Duke scarce 1 left 
his bedside. The news filled London with dismay, for those wl tost 
disliked him preferred his unprincipled levity to his brotlie stern 
bigotry. The prelates who were present exhorted him to » ire for 
death, which was imminent; but he listened to them in s' 3. The 
service for the visitation of the sick was read; he said he sorry for 

what he had done amiss, and absolution was pronouncec" jrding to 

the forms of the Church of England ; but when the faithf ines urged 

that he should declare that he died in the communion . Episcopal 

Church, he was apparently unconscious, and made no lent to take 

the eucharist from the hands of the bishop. A tr „h bread and 

wine was brought to his bedside ; but he said the - no hurry, and 

that he was too weak ; and it was supposed that " overcome with 

the stupor which precedes death. 

A few persons in his household knew that he had never been a sincere 
member of the Established Chinch. In his rarely serious moments, he 
was at heart a Roman Catholic. The Duke was so much occupied look- 
ing after his own interests, the posting of guards through the city, and the 
preparation for his proclamation as soon as the king should expire, that 
he was oblivious to the danger of the loss of his brother's soul for the 
want of the last sacraments. This was the more extraordinary as the 
Duchess of York had, at the request of the queen, suggested spiritual 
assistance. The Duchess of Portsmouth finally sent the French ambassa- 
dor to remind James of his sacred duty. The message was whispered in 
his ear, and he started, scarcely able: to repress tears at the thought of his 
negligence, and hastily looked about him to see how it might be repaired. 
The room was filled with Protestant clergymen. Catholicism was the 
powder magazine of the kingdom. There was not a moment to waste in 
preliminaries. He commanded every one to stand back, and bending over 
the dying king said something in a whisper to which Charles answered 



SCENES AXD INCIDENTS. 313 

audibly, "Yes, yes, with all my heart." " Shall I bring a priest ? " asked 
James. " Do, brother, for God's sake do, and lose no time ; but no, you 
will get into trouble " ; and his voice grew fainter. " If it costs me my 
life, I will bring a priest," exclaimed the Duke, with great feeling. 

The gentlemen standing about the room were not aware of the purport 
of the conversation. To find a priest for such a purpose at a moment's 
notice was no easy thing to do. As the law then stood, it was a capital 
crime to admit a proselyte into the lioman Catholic Church. A Portu- 
guese nobleman, who was present, undertook to find one of the queen's 
chaplains ; but none of them understood English or French sufficiently. 
The French ambassador was about to go to the Venetian minister for a 
clefg urn, when they learned that there was a Benedictine monk at 
Whit* '1, named Huddleston, who had, after the battle of Worcester, 
risked life to save that of the king, and had ever since been a priv- 

ileged p i. When the nation had Keen goaded to fury and proclama- 
tions issi gainst popish priests, Huddleston hail always been excepted 
by name. was willing to put his life in peril again for the king he 
loved; bu\ r as so illiterate that he had to have instructions as to 
what was p o say on such a momentous occasion. He was brought 
by a confidei rvant up the back stairway. The Duke requested all 
present, exce} noblemen whom he dared trust, to withdraw. Then 
the back door lened and the monk, whose sacred vestments were 
concealed undt ik, entered. When he was announced, Charles 
faintly answerea welcome." Huddleston went through his part 
better than was .ced, pronounced the absolution, and administered 
extreme unction He asked if Charles wished to receive the Lord's Sup- 
per. " Surely, if I am not unworthy." was the quick reply. Mean- 
while, the courtiers in the outer room were whispering their suspicions, 
with significant glances. The door was opened, and once more they 
stood around the king's bed. He retained his faculties during the entire 
night, conversing at intervals with different persons. Once lie apologized 
for being such an unconscionable time dying, and hoped those who had 
stood about him so long would excuse it. Soon after daylight his speech 
failed, and about noon he passed away. 

In a quarter of an hour. James came out of the closet, whither he had 
retired when all was over, and the Privy Counselors, who were assembled 
in the palace, proclaimed him king. Usage required a speech, and the 
new monarch expressed a. few words of touching sorrow for the loss just 
sustained, and promised to imitate the singular lenity which had distin- 
guished the late reign. He said he had been accused of an over-fondness 
for power ; but that was one of many falsehoods which had been told 



314 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

of him. He would maintain the established government both in Church 
and State, and, knowing the Church of England to be eminently loyal, 
should specially care for, support, and defend it. And he should with his 
life defend the rights and liberties of his people. 

The lords were delighted with his sentiments. When his speech was 
made public, it produced a pleasing impression. A king, whose very 
first act was to defend the Church and strictly respect the rights of his 
people, was certainly fit to wear a crown. His worst enemies did not 
regard him as one likely to court public favor by professing what he did 
not feel, or by promising what he had no intention of performing. He 
would probably have kept his word, bad it not involved complicated rela- 
tions which his mind could not grasp. At a later period, he statr ' that 
his unpremeditated expressions touching the Church of England ' e too 
strung, and had been made without due consideration. 

James knew, when he ascended the throne of England, ' it was 
liable to be overturned in an hour, and his face was fixed r 'ance, in 
an agony of supplication. His new ministry, of which Ha" was Lord 
President, in spite of old quarrels, urged the call of a Par 1 it. There 

was no other safe course. The customs had been set jv life on 

Charles only, and could not be legally exacted by the ng. James 

issued the call, and then apologized deferentially to L taking such 

a step without coming to him for advice. He asked ench king for 

a subsidy, and his wants were promptly supplied. ,he money was 

put into his hands, he actually shed tears of gra He became the 

slave of France. The degrading relation galled bin., i he looked about 
in vain for some way in which to break loose from his thralldom. He 
grew haughty, punctilious, boastful, and quarrelsome, and evinced tokens 
of indecision and insincerity. Those who were without the clew were 
puzzled by his extraordinary conduct. Even Louis could not compre- 
hend the ally, who passed, in a few hours, from homage to defiance and 
from defiance to homage. It was only within narrow limits that he could 
conform his actions to a general rule. It was not long before he was 
assuring the United Provinces, that, as soon as the affairs of England 
were settled, he would show the world how little he feared France. The 
patience of the nation caused visions of dominion and glory to rise before 
his mind. 

A little oratory had been fitted up in the palace for Mary, while 
Duchess of York, and James was in the habit of hearing mass with her 
there in private. Soon after he became king, he shocked his Protestant 
subjects by erecting a new pulpit, and throwing open the doors, so that 
all who came to pay their duty to him might see the Catholic ceremony. 



INCONSISTENCIES OF JAMES II. 315 

There was a sensation in the antechamber, the Catholics falling on their 
knees and the Protestants hurrying away. During Lent, a series of ser- 
mons was preached there by popish divines, and a little later the rites of 
the Church of Borne were once more, after an interval of a hundred and 
twenty-seven years, performed on Easter Sunday at Westminster with 
regal splendor. The Tories were in the ascendant ; hence zealous church- 
men brooded over England's wrongs in dignified silence. But, on the 
day of his coronation, James committed what, in Boman Catholic estima- 
tion, was little short of an act of apostasy. He made an oblation on the 
altar, joined in the litany as chanted by the bishops, received the unction 
typical of divine influence, and knelt with the semblance of devotion, 
while that society of heretics (as he believed the Church of England to 
be) called down upon him the Holy Spirit, of which they were in his 
opinion the malignant and obstinate foes. 

The inconsistencies of James II. furnish a key to the succession of dis- 
asters which befell New York. He was quite another person from what 
he had been as Duke of York. Not less active, if possible more industri- 
ous, and equally disposed to manage and control ; but his interests were 
divided, and despotism appeared in the ascendant. The first time after 
his accession that the affairs of New York were discussed, he presided in 
person over the Plantation Committee. He re-examined the Charter of 
Privileges, which he had sealed but never delivered to New York < 'ity, 
and discovered that it w*>s too liberal in its construction. He declined 
to confirm it, because ir'tended towards an abridgment of Ids power; 
although it was in force until such time as he should see fit to commu- 
nicate his disapproval to Dongan. He thought it would be well to 
consolidate New York and New England under one .government, and a 
constitution was discussed, although not acted upon at that time. 

A letter bearing his royal signature directed that all men in office in 
New York should so continue until further orders. It contained 

March 3. 

no allusion to an Assembly, which accordingly was called in Octo- 
ber, and William Pinhorne was chosen speaker. But it was the 
last representative body permitted to New York, or indeed to any of the 
American colonies, during the reign of James II. It accomplished very 
little business of importance. Immediately after its adjournment, a day 
i'l thanksgiving was proclaimed by the governor, for the king's 

-,-,-, ! , ",, , , r , Nov. 20. 

victory over the rebels under Argyll and Monmouth. 

In 1685, Nicholas Bayard was the mayor of the city and also one of 
Dongan's council. James Graham was appointed attorney-general of 
the province, and Isaac Swinton was made clerk in chancery. About 
this time, Collector Santen proved unfaithful to his trust, and was ordered 



316 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORE. 

before the governor and council with his books and accounts, which were 
rigidly examined. He was a hypochondriac, subject to fits, careless in 
his business habits, boundlessly arrogant, and extremely violent in tem- 
per. He was testy about explanations and was severely reprimanded. 
He was allowed to execute the duties of his office a short time longer ; 
but charges accumulated against him, and he was finally suspended, 
arrested, and sent to England. Stephanus Van Cortlandt and James 
Graham were appointed to manage the king's revenue until further 
orders. Dongan wrote to James, asking the privilege of naming a collec- 
tor from among the old residents of the city, " because," said he, " those 
who are sent over for the purpose expect to run suddenly into great 
estate." 

It was found necessary to establish a Court of Exchequer, to be held in 
the city of New York on the first Monday in each month, for the pur- 
pose of determining royal revenue cases. There was great hazard in 
leaving such questions to country juries, who were ignorant, and gener- 
ally linked together by affinity or swayed by particidar humors and inter- 
ests. Dyer, who was now Surveyor-General of the customs in America, 
complained that the juries in New Jersey found verdicts in opposition to 
the most undoubted facts. He also wrote to the Plantation Committee in 
regard to the mixed condition of affairs in the whole revenue department. 

When James found breathing space amid the putting down of the vari- 
ous rebellions which menaced his throne, he gave, attention to his Ameri- 
can affairs. A temporary government was at jged for Massachusetts, 
and Joseph Dudley, 1 for whose loyalty Dongan vouched, was appointed 
president over seventeen counselors. The case of William Fenn and 
Lord Baltimore was next in order. The rival claimants were politically 
equal, one being a Roman Catholic and the other a Quaker, and their 
territorial dispute was settled as impartially as possible under the circum- 
stances. It was decided that Delaware did not form a part of Maryland ; 
and the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland was run from 
Delaware westward by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, and has ever 
since been known as " Mason and Dixon's Line." 

James regarded the Quakers with a feeling akin to tenderness ; partly 
because they had never been implicated in any conspiracy against the 

1 Joseph Dudley was the son of Governor Thomas Dudley of Massachusetts. He was horn 
in 1647 ; graduated at Harvard in 1665 ; was agent of Massachusetts in England in 1682 ; 
president in 16S5 ; one of Andros's council in 1689 ; one of Governor Sloughter's council, and 
Chief Justice of New York in 1691. In the latter capacity, he tried and condemned Leisler. 
He was afterwards member of the British Parliament, lieutenant-governor of the Isle of 
Wight, and, from 1702 to 1715, governor of Massachusetts. He died in 1720. Eulchisson's 
Mass., II. 193. 



WILLIAM PENN'S INFLUENCE AT COURT. 317 

government, but more particularly as the direct result of a potent advo- 
cacy at court. William Penn lived in the highest circles and had con- 
stant access to the royal ear. His father had held various positions of 
honor, had sat in Parliament, and had been knighted The son had a 
high reputation and many virtues. He was every day summoned from 
the gallery into the closet, and spent hour- with the king, while many a 
peer was kept waiting in the antechamber. His integrity was not en- 
tirely proof against the temptations of that polite hut deeply corrupted 
court, where intrigues of one sort and another were constantly fermenting. 
His own sect grew suspicious of him, notwithstanding that they received 
indulgences similar to those granted i<< the Roman Catholics, while the 
intermediate or Puritan order of religionists were suffering beyond meas- 
ure. On one occasion, a list of Quakers against whom proceedings had 
been instituted for not taking the oaths and for not going to church was 
made out, and every individual of them discharged. It was generally 
remarked that William Penn had more power at Whitehall than any of 
the nobles. It is quite apparent that lie knew how to influence .Tames to 
his own private advantage, for when the plan was matured for consoli- 
dating the colonies in America, Pennsylvania alone escaped the forfeiture 
of her charter. Printing was also permitted in that province at a time 
when freedom of type was by no means a popular idea in high cir- 
cles. William Bradford, a young man of twenty-two, a namesake 
and favorite of William Penn, who had been apprenticed to a Quaker 
printer in London and had married his daughter, was allowed to set up a 
printing-press in Philadelphia. His first work was an almanac for the 
year 1686, which is at this date 1876 a very unique and interesting 
curiosity. Hitherto, the only printing-press in the English colonies had 
been in Massachusetts and under Puritan censorship. 

The year 1686 was distinguished by the -ranting of the "Dongan 
Charter" to the city of New York. It was drafted by Mayor 
Nicholas Bayard and Recorder James Graham, and was one of 
the most liberal ever bestowed upon a colonial city. By it sources of 
immediate income became vested in the corporation. Subsequent char- 
ters added nothing to the city property, save in the matter of ferry 
rights, m immediate reference to which the charters of 1708 and 1730 
were obtained. 

The Dongau charter confirmed all former " rights and privileges." anil 
conveyed specifically to the corporation the City Hall, the two market- 
houses, the bridge into the dock, the great dock and wharf connected 
therewith, the new burial-ground, the ferry, and the waste, vacant, un- 
patented lands on Manhattan Island reaching to low-water mark, together 



iH8 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

with the rivers, rivulets, coves, creeks, ponds, waters, and water-courses 
not before mentioned. 1 

It is an interesting document and is recited at large in the charter of 
1730. It is the more remarkable from the fact, that, at the very moment 
of its creation, James and his ministers were waging war against all 
chartered rights and privileges throughout the British dominions. The 
marked partiality thus displayed for New York may be imputed more to 
the personal character and influence of Dongan, and the spirit and far- 
sighted intelligence of the leading citizens of the metropolis, than to any 
private preference on the part of the king. The instrument was the 
basis of a plan of government for a great city. It was cautiously worded, 
and shows that the minds in which it originated were possessed of a 
broad and enlightened sense of the sanctity of corporate and private 
rights, and by no means disposed to neglect provident guards for their 
security. It is in itself an ample foundation, and we shall see how it was 
built upon as exigencies demanded. 

Before the end of the year, a new city seal was presented to New 
York. It was richer and more elaborate than the old Dutch city seal ; 
but it preserved the beaver, with the addition of a flour-barrel, and the 
arms of a wind-mill, signifying the prevailing commerce and industry. 
The whole was supported by two Indian chiefs, and encircled by a wreath 
of laurel, the motto being, Sir/ilium civitalis Nori JSboraci. 

Soon after signing the metropolitan charter, Dongan went up to 
Albany, and executed a charter agreed upon between himself and 
the magistrates of that city, giving the corporation large fran- 
chises, including the management of the Indian trade. He appointed 
Peter Schuyler its first mayor ; Isaac Swinton, recorder ; and Robert 
Livingston, city clerk and sub-collector of the king's revenues at that 
place. The aldermen and assistants were to be chosen annually by the 
inhabitants on the Feast of Saint Michael, the 29th of September. 

Livingston discovered the peculiar value of the lauds south of Van 
Rensselaer's property, which had never yet been granted by the govern- 
ment to any one, and entered into negotiations with the Indians for their 
purchase. They conveyed to him, July 12, 1683, just prior to his mar- 
riage with Alida, the widow of Rev. Nicolaus Van Rensselaer, two thou- 
sand acres on Roelof Jansen's Kill. The deed was executed by two 
Indians and two squaws. The payment consisted of " three hundred 
guilders in sewan, eight blankets and two children's blankets, five and 

1 Col. Doc, III. 360-495; IV. 812; V. 369i Council Minutes, V. 155. Minutes of Com- 
mon Council, I. 272-300. Valentine, Man. 1844, 318 ; 1858, 13-24. Booth's Hist. X. Y., 
Appendix. Dunlap, II. Appendix. Patents, V. 381-406. Kent's Book of Charters, 210. 



THE LIVINGSTON MAS OR. 



319 



twenty ells of duffels, and four garments of strouds, ten large shirts and 
ten small shirts, ten pairs of large stockings and ten small pairs, six guns, 
fifty pounds of powder, fifty staves of lead, four caps, ten kettles, ten 
axes, ten adzes, two pounds of paint, twenty little scissors, twenty little 
Looking-glasses, one hundred fish-hooks, awls and nails of each one hun- 
dred, four rolls of tobacco, one hundred pipes, ten bottles, three kegs of 

rum, one barrel of strung 1 1. twenty knives, four stroud coats, two 

duffel coats and four tin kettles." 

During the next two years, Livingston secured the Indian title to, in 
all, one hundred and sixty thousand acres of the finest land on the Hud- 
son, and in the midst of scenery unsurpassed by any in Europe. He 
then obtained from Dongan a patent, with manorial privileges, dated 
July 22, L685 ; and this grant was confirmed by royal authority in 171"'. 
with the additional privilege of electing a representative to the General 
Assembly. 

Thus Livingston was <me of the largest landholders in New York. 
His manor was not, however, as rich and valuable as that of Van Rens- 
selaer. It belonged strictly to that class of institutions called close 
boroughs, which necessarily gave way before the equalizing influences of 
republicanism. The manor-house which he built on the Hudson, forty 
miles south of Albany, was for several generations the seat of a princely 
hospitality. The governors of the province were always entertained 
there on their trips up and down the river ; and every foreigner of dis- 
tinction who visited this country was cordially welcomed within its 
walls. 

Philip Livingston, 
the eldest son of 
Robert, and heir to 
this great manorial 
estate, was born at 
Albany in 1686. He 
was unlike his fa- 
ther in many re- 
spects, — was less 
bold, less subtle, less 
persevering, less of 
financier, and a much 
handsomer man. In 

his youthful days. Clermont. Thf Lower Manor House. 

he was dashing and 

gay : he had a winning manner with women, and went about breaking 




320 



HISTOBY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



hearts promiscuously. In the course of time, however, he wedded Cath- 
arine, the pretty daughter of Peter Vau Brugh of Albany. He was by no 
means destitute of rank and consequence. He was, for several years, 
deputy agent of Indian affairs under his father, and, from 1722, sole 
secretary. He was at the taking of Port Royal in 1710 ; a colonel of 
militia, a member of the Assembly, and, for many years, one of the gov- 
ernor's council. He lived in a style of courtly magnificence. 

He was the eldest of rive sons and four daughters. Two of the sons 
and two of the daughters died unmarried ; but he, with his two brothers, 
Robert and Gilbert, survived to a good old age. Robert, the second son, 
received from his father thirteen thousand acres of the main estate, as a 
special reward for having discovered and frustrated an Indian plot. This 
formed the lower manor of Clermont. A large stone house was built 
upon it, which, towards the close of his life, he gave to his son Judge 
Robert R. Livingston, the father of Chancellor Livingston. Gilbert re- 
ceived a large estate near Saratoga, and married Cornelia Beekman. He 
was the ancestor of a large family, among whom was Rev. John R. Liv- 
ingston, the celebrated divine. 




[Robert, eldest son of Philip, and third lord of the manor, divided the estate (in 17S4) equally between 
his four sons. Walter subsequently conveyed his portion of the manor to his brother Henry, who 
built the present structure.] 



CATHOLICISM IN NEW YORK. 321 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



EFFECTS OF THE MEASURES OF JAMES II. 

Catholicism in New York. — Absurd Alarms. — Persecution in France. — The 
Assembly abolished in New York. — Sir Edmund Andros in Boston. — Co] 

CUT AND HER TWO WOOERS. — CONNECTICUT LOSES HER CHARTER. — The PosT-RoUTE. 

— Governor Dongan a Statesman. — Albany in Dancer. — The Engwsh, Fri nch, 
and Iroquois. — Consolidation of the Colonies. — New York swallowed by New 
England. — Sir Edmund Andros. — The Exiled Huguenots. — Extraordinary 
Acts of James II. — The Seven Bishops. — Birth of the Prince of Walks. — 
Mary, Princess of Orange. — The Character of William III. — The Political 
Marriage. — A Domestic Romance. — William's Purposes. — William's Expedi 
tion to England. — Revolution in England. — The King's Despair. — Abdica 
tion of the Throne by James II. — William's Reception in London. — William 
ami Mary crowned Sovereigns of England. 

IT would seem as if the whole world was just at this moment in a 
religious ferment. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes, in 1685, 
caused a simultaneous cry 'if grief and rage through the whole of 

1C.XC 

Protestant Europe. The courts of Spain and Rome, uot usually 
backward in applauding a vigorous war upon heresy, were amazed at the 
injustice of the French king, and took the side of religious liberty. Eng- 
land was filled with dismay. She began immediately to scrutinize the 
recent acts of her own king. He had ordered the organization of a large 
military force, and, in defiance of the law, had officered it chiefly with 
Roman Catholics. Why might it not be employed in England for the 
same wretched work which the dragoons of Louis had performed in 
France? James had publicly promised to respect the privileges of his 
Protestant subjects ; but had not Louis in like manner pledged himself? 
Was there, after all, any reliance to he placed upon kings ' 

New Yoik caught the alarm, and suffered, as a feeble chill, much 
more severely than its parent. The rumor was started that dames had 
communicated to Governor Dongan an intention to establish the Roman 
Catholic religion then-. A new Latin teacher who was said to be a Jesuit 



322 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

having l>een employed in the school, many of the children were hastily 
removed, and some of them sent to the New England schools. The 
Catholic officers of the government were watched with jealous eyes, 
and every movement of the governor was criticised. All confidence in 
rulers seemed to be fast fading away. A gentleman from London arrived 
about this time and was hospitably entertained by Governor Dongan. 
The two appeared together on the streets, and dined with Frederick 
Philipse and with Nicholas Bayard. It was absurdly reported that the 
strange guest was a Catholic priest in disguise, sent over on private busi- 
ni'ss by the king; and the rumor, fostered by that kindly entertainment 
always furnished in such cases by small communities, speedily assumed 
the importance of an acknowledged fact. If James himself was consti- 
tutionally treacherous, how could any member of his church be trusted ? 
What sense was there in calling a monarch who rejected the English com- 
munion " the Defender of the Faith " of the Episcopalians ! Supposing 
that he did wear a crown which he owed to the Anglican clergy, and 
that every tie of gratitude and decency bound him to their support, it was 
clear that he only waited for some plausible excuse to trample them 
all under his feet. 

Meanwhile James publicly expressed disapproval, and was really at 
heart distressed by the outrages which Louis was visiting upon the 
Huguenots. Men and women of all classes were stripped ■ of their pos- 
sessions, hunted from place to place without sleep and without food, and 
subjected to the most violent persecution ever recorded upon the pages 
of history. Men in power even set themselves at work to invent new 
methods of cruelty. Nothing could exceed the fury of the inquisitors. 
Such of the persecuted as attempted to escape were seized, the men com- 
mitted to the galleys, and the women immured in nunneries, where they 
were starved, whipped, and otherwise barbarously treated. Those who 
died were denied burial. And yet thousands upon thousands succeeded 
in escaping ; the best blood of France was on the wing ; persons of great 
fame in war, in letters, in the arts, and in the sciences, dressed like the 
humblest peasants, wandered from place to place, engaging in the 
most menial occupations, until ingenuity could devise some method of 
crossing the frontiers. Many reached England, and James assisted them 
from his own private purse. He did not like to have it appear that 
Catholics were intolerant. All this came upon him just as he had made 
up his mind to ask of his Protestant Parliament the fullest toleration for 
Roman Catholics in England. 

The idea of consolidation for the purpose of brineing New 

June 3. r r , 

England under the direct authority of the crown was fully ma- 



SIR EDMUND ANDROS IN BOSTON. 323 

tared in the spring of 1686. Sir Edmund Andros was finally commis- 
sioned to the supreme command, and the former provisional appointment 
was revoked. He was empowered to make laws, levy taxes, regulate 
finances, and control the militia. Humanity and severity were mingled 
in his instructions. Liberty of conscience was particularly enjoined; but 
printing-presses were forbidden, except by special license. Whole pages 
were devoted to the rights of the governed ; but assemblies were pro- 
hibited, on account of the dangerous power which they invested in the 
people. The great seal for New England was adorned with the remarka- 
ble motto, " Nunquam libertas gratior extat," — Liberty is never more 
agreeable — than under a pious king ! 

A similar commission was prepared for Dongan, and by it the Charter 
of Franchises, which had been so dear to New York, was made 
void. Dongan was ordered to resume the powers of law-making 
and tax-gathering. He was also directed to swear into his service, as 
counselors, Frederick Thilipse, Stephanus Van Cortlandt, Nicholas Bay- 
ard, Anthony Brockholls, Lucas Stanten, John Spragg, Jervis Baxter, and 
John Younge. These gentlemen were all well and favorably known at 
Whitehall, and their eligibility had been fully discussed in the Planta- 
tion Committee at one of its meetings over which the king in person 
presided. 

In December (1686), Andros reached Boston, "glittering in scarlet and 
lace," according to the discontented Puritans, who looked gloomily 

Dec 19 

on while his Irish soldiers, under Lieutenant-Governor Nicholson, 
marched through the streets in brilliant uniform, with gay music and 
banners floating in the breeze. The free-and-easy manner of the new- 
comers was in the highest degree repulsive to the people. The stiff ami 
formal bigots of Massachusetts, who had persecuted even to banishment 
and death every man and woman presuming to hold religious opinions 
different from their own, accused Andros of papacy, and turned upon him 
the concentrated strength of a long-cherished hatred. Their precious 
charter had been vacated, and his personal rule had been bestowed upon 
them in its stead. Had he been an angel from Heaven, under the circum- 
stances, he would hardly have pleased them. His soldierly bearing and 
administration were, according to their ideas, overbearing and oppressive ; 
and when he was sharp, quick, and decisive in his measures, they called 
him "the arbitrary and sycophantic tool of a despotic king." It is doubt- 
ful whether moderation on his part would not have given even greater 
offense. 

Joseph Dudley, the president of the board which had temporarily ad- 
ministered the government, was appointed Chief Justice of New England. 



324 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

William Stoughton and Peter Bulkley were made associate judges, and 
George Farwell, from New York, was the attorney-general. John West 
resigned his offices under Dongan, and removed to Boston, where he was 
made Secretary of New England. 

One of the first acts of Andres was to rebuke Hinckley, the late gov- 
ernor of Plymouth, for intolerance, in seizing the property of Quakers for 
the support of other sectarian ministers. Indeed, the statesmanship of 
Andres was more tolerant and just, and provided more generally for the 
happiness and prosperity of all classes of inhabitants, than that which it 
superseded. He was fearless and unconcerned in regard to the public 
temper, and made and executed laws which indicate a profound regard 
for the good of the province. 

Connecticut, at that period, had two wooers, New York and Boston. 
Dongan wrote an eloquent letter to the king, recommending the annexa- 
tion of Connecticut to New York, and suggesting that Pemaquid, which 
was troublesome and expensive, from being so distant, might be given to 
New England as an ecpiivalent. Andres, wiser as to the king's intentions, 
was trying to induce Connecticut to come peaceably under his authority. 
Some very curious intercolonial intrigues followed. Connecticut coquet- 
ted ; giving New York to understand that it would be more agreeable to 
tend westward than toward the east, and allowing Boston meanwhile 
to kiss her hand. Andros treated Dongan with extreme official reserve, 
keeping him in the dark in regard to the true situation of affairs, and, 
with si uue show of haughtiness, communicated an order for the surrender 
of Pemaquid, which was promptly and cheerfully obeyed. 

In the course of events, definite instructions reached Andros to demand 
1687. tne coai 'ters of Rhode Island and Connecticut. He set out at 
Oct. 22. once to visit the two provinces, accompanied by several of the 
gentlemen of his council, with an escort of sixty soldiers. He 
was received in Hartford with distinguished ceremony. The General 
Court was in session, that same evening. Andros appeared, leaning upon 
the arm of Governor Treat, and publicly explained the king's policy in 
bringing his colonies under a single government, that they might the 
better defend themselves against invasion. Tradition says that Treat 
remonstrated against the surrender of the charter, and that just as Andros 
had secured one of the copies of the instrument, the lights were suddenly 
extinguished, and Joseph Wardsworth escaped from the hall and secretly 
hid the duplicate copy in a hollow tree, which was ever after known as 
the " Charter Oak." The authenticity of this story is severely questioned, 
since neither by contemporary writers, nor in the records of the colony, 
which were closed in the handwriting of Secretary Allyu, is there any 



GOYERXOR DOXGAX A STATESMAN. 325 

allusion to such an occurrence. The next morning, Andros was con- 
ducted in state to the court-house, where his commission was 
read, and Governor Treat and Secretary Allyn were sworn into 
office as his counselors. Royal courts were established, and the dominion 
of .lames rendered supreme over the land of steady habits. 1 Andros then 
proceeded to New London, and to Newport. The old seal of Rhode 
Island was broken and the new authority set up. Shortly after, a post- 
route between Boston and Stamford, on the border of New York, which 
had been originally suggested by Lovelace and encouraged by Dongan, 
was established, and John Perry, as the deputy of the provincial post- 
master Randolph, was appointed to carry a monthly mail. 

Dongan identified himself more and more, as time rolled on, with the 
state affairs of Xew York. He learned that the French in Canada 
were upon the eve of attacking the Iroquois warriors, and made a vigor- 
ous effort to prevent mischief in that quarter. He finally decided to 
spend the winter in All. any, the more readily to influence the Indians in 
favor of peace with their Canadian neighbors. His able and earnest let- 
ters to James, descriptive of the attitude of the belligerents, induced 
the British ministers to propose the Treaty of Neutrality with France, 
which was to be observed by the American subjects of both powers. 
Chancellor Jeffreys, with Barrillon, the French minister, arranged the 
details, and it was agreed, that notwithstanding any breach which might 
occur between the two sovereigns, absolute peace and neutrality should 
he maintained between their subjects in America; and that neither 
colonial power should, in any instance, assist the "wild Indians" with 
whom the other might be at war. 

Although no mention of the Iroquois was made in the treaty. Dongan 
assumed that they were British subjects, and governed himself accord- 
ingly The governor of Canada accused him of duplicity in permitting 
New York traders to go among these savages, and complained that he 
had broken the Treaty of Neutrality by advising ami protecting them; 
and finally, he maintained with boldness, the right of the French to 
sovereignty over the Iroquois. 

Before -ding to Albany, Dongan empowered Brockholls to sign war- 
rants, papers, and licenses, and to attend to other public business which 
usually devolved upon the governor. He appointed Stephanas aj _ 
Van Cortlandt mayor of the city in place of Nicholas Bayard, 
and Judge James ( iraham counselor in place of John Younge, who 0ct - 8 - 

> Brodhead, II. 472. 47:'.. Palfrey, III. 541, 542. Col. Rec. Conn., III. 248, 249, 386- 
390. Annals, I. 298, 306. Trumbull, I 371,372. Holmes, I. 421. Col. Doc, III. 429, 
511. Arnold, I. 504, 506. Force's Tracts, IV. No. '■>. pp. 47. 48. Bancroft, II. 430. 



;;--'i; 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 




was not only very old, but lived at the east end of Long Island, one hun- 
dred and fifty miles from the city and ibrt. He reappointed Peter 
0ct ' ' Schuyler mayor of Albany; and confirmed prior legislation by 
ordering in council that certain Spanish Indians, who had I n broughl 

from Campeachy, in Mexico, and sold as slaves, should be se1 free. 

Albany was fortified as far as possible ; for a party of Mohawks and 
Mohicans, exasper- 

Oct. 24. , . . , , 

ated against tne 
French in Canada, had be- 
sieged Fort Chambly, burned 
houses, killed several men, 
and taken a large number of 
prisoners ; and a storm might 
burst upon the English set- 
tlements at any moment. 
Dongan called upon his 
council in New York to 
consider ways and means to 
defray the expenses which 
the French movements were causing the province; but they answered m 
effect that New York was not able to bear so great a burden alone, and 
that the neighboring colonies should be invited to contribute. The 
neighboring colonies were invited, but found it "inconvenient" to fur- 
nish any special aid. Andros offered a few men from New England, but 
no money. Pennsylvania withheld and Maryland refused help. Virginia 
was not disposed to contribute ; but her governor, Lord Effingham, sent 
Dongan five hundred pounds. New Jersey, anxious to stand well with 
the king, voted a tax for the benefit of New York, which was never 
levied. Dongan pledged his personal credit, and even mortgaged his 
farm on Staten Island, to borrow of Hubert Livingston two thousand 
or more pounds for the use of the government. 

Judge Palmer went to London during the autumn, bearing dispatches 
from Dongan, which convinced James thai the Treaty of Neutrality was 
not favorable to English interests. It had given to Louis a positive 
advantage. The Five Nations sent a touching appeal to the "Great 
Sachem beyond the Great Lake," for protection against their enemies; 
and this brought to a crisis the question of European sovereignty over 
the Iroquois. The king at once ordered Dongan to demand from the gov- 
ernor of Canada all British prisoners, and to build necessary forts, 
employ militia, and defend those Indians against the Canadians. 

Louis attempted to argue his claim, and insisted that the Iroquois bad 



CONSOLIDATION OF THE COLONIES. •'i-- , 7 

acknowledged French sovereignty since 1665. He complained also of 
Dongan's ai novel pretensions," and " dishonorable treat- 

ment " ; but, in the end, an agreement was signed, that, until the 
first day of January, 1689, and afterward, no English or French com- 
mander in America should invade or commit any ad of hostility against 
i be territories of either king. 

Mew France, with her undefined territory, had the strength of union, 
while New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were dis- 
tinct and inharmonious. James, who took a lively personal inter- 
est in the details of In- administration, resolved to unite his colo- 
nies under one vice-regal government. " I will make them a tower of 
iron," he said. He accordingly decreed thai all hi- American possessions 
north of the fortieth degree of latitude, stretching across the continent 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, should he consolidated into one great 
political whole, to he called New England. 1 Pennsylvania was to he the 
solitary exception, as he could not afford to offend so useful a favorite as 
William Penn by the withdrawal of his charter. 

As New England was henceforth to he governed by a single viceroy, 
either Dongan or Andros must he displaced Both had heen twice eom- 
missioned by his Majesty. Andros had the larger experience, and ex- 
celled in executive talent. He was administering his trust to the entire 
satisfaction of James and his ministers, and it was thought best I 
him. On the other, hand, Dongan was as good a soldier as Andros, with 
more independence of character. He had not hesitated to fod and em- 
bitter Penn, nor to anger Perth and Melfort, in the king's behalf. His 
policy and firmness had preserved Northern New York to the English, in 
spite of the French king and his shrewd maneuvers. He had given, 
indeed, more advice and shown more official zeal than was agreeable to 
the politicians at Whitehall He was offered the command of a 

. March 23. 

regiment, with the rank of major-general of artillery in the Brit- 
ish army, but saw fit to decline the honor. Andros received his appoint- 
ment, and hastened to assume almost imperial command over the province 
which he had left seven years before, and which, in the interval, had 
gained and lost a popular Assembly. Dongan retired to his farm. 

Andros was at this time saddened by the recent death of his wife 
whose funeral was attended in Boston, on the 10th of February, " with 

1 Col. Doc., III. 363, 391, 392, 397, 415, 416, 125, 129, 192. Butch. Coll., 559. Learn- 
ing and Spicer, 604, 605. S. Smith, 204, 206, 211, 568. Gordon, 53. Bancroft, II. 46, 47. 
Brodhead, II. 500, 501. Grahame, II -J'.''.'. Whitehead's E. J., 112, 113. XndextoN.J 
Col. Doc, 13. Chalmers Annals, I. 590, 622. Proud, I. 322, 341. Dalrymple, II. 89, 90. 
Win as Luttrell, I. 461. 



328 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

great pomp"), and delayed his journey to New York for some weeks. 
He arrived finally, with quite an army of attendants, on Satur- 
us ' ' day, August 11, and was received by Colonel Nicholas Bayard's 
regiment of foot and a troop of horse. His commission was read at 
Fort James, and afterwards at the City Hall. The Seal of New York 
was broken and defaced in his presence, by order of the king, and the 
Civiil Seal of New England was used in its stead. 

New York was deeply humiliated with the loss of her provincial indi- 
viduality. Dutch blood waxed warm, and Dutch wrath coidd with diffi- 
culty be restrained. New York and Massachusetts had been rivals and 
antagonists from the start, and differed politically and religiously on almost 
all essential points. The former was grand, courteous, hospitable, ami 
magnanimous; the latter, sectional, narrow, rigorous, and selfish. Both 
erred in persecuting the Quakers; but the annals of Dutch New York 
were not disfigured by the acts of self-righteous despotism which marred 
the record of her Eastern neighbor, There had never been so much as a 
fugitive spark of love between the two provinces, and New York despair- 
ingly pronounced her present " unhappy annexation" an "abhorred and 
unmerited degradation." 

The counselors of Dongan — Brockholls, Philipse, Bayard, and Van 
Cortlandt — were sworn into the new administration, and found their 
official importance increased rather than diminished, as they could now 
vote on the affairs of Boston as well as New York. As it was necessary 
for Andros to make Boston his headquarters, some of the New York rec- 
ords were transferred to Boston for his convenience, and Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor Nicholson was left in charge of New York affairs. 

The Protestants of New York appear to have rejoiced to some extent 
in the change of governors. However noble and discreet Dongan's course 
might have been, the fact that he worshiped, every Sabbath, with a few 
Roman Catholics, in a small chamber in Fort James, had caused uneasi- 
ness. Dominie Selyns wrote to the Classis of Amsterdam, " Sir Edmund 
Andros has now stepped into this government of New York and New 
Jersey, and is of the Church of England ; and, understanding and speak- 
ing the Low Dutch and French, he attends mine and Mr. Daille's preach- 
ing." It was hoped that papists would not henceforth come so freely to 
settle in the province. 

James was, at this moment, actually engaged in trying to change the 
religion of his kingdom. The cardinals at Borne were dismayed at his 
blunders. "We must excommunicate him, or he will destroy the little 
of Catholicity which remains in England," they said. James had, some 
time before, apologized to Louis for the discourtesy shown to France in 



EXTRAORDINARY ACTS OF JAMES II. 



>9 




ch Church in New York. 



favoring the exiled Huguenots, and in directing Dongan to encourage 
them to settle in New York, with the promise of letters of denization. 
He had also admonished the 
Huguenot ministers to speak 
reverentially of their oppres- 
sor in their public discourses. 
When his advisers ventured to 
remonstrate at these conces- 
sions, "One king should always 
stand by another king," was 
his apology ; and then he went 
on intrusting civil and milita- 
ry power to Roman Catholics. 
He multiplied Catholic chap- 
els; lie favored the establish- 
ment of convents in different parts of London; he encouraged the ap- 
pearance of monks and friars, clad in the habits of their orders, in 
the streets, and even in the Court itself; he attempted to proselyte 
the Protestants about him; he held private interviews, which lie called 
" closetings," with various members of Parliament, and, when they 
did not accede to his wishes, he removed them, unless they resigned of 
themselves, and gave their places to Catholics; and he made direct attack 
upon the Established Church by granting equal franchises to every relig- 
ious sect. 

A few days after he executed the commission to Andros, he issued his 
second declaration of the liberty of conscience, in winch he renewed 

April 27. 

the abrogation of all test oaths and laws against dissenters. The 
act was unconstitutional, and every Catholic of good judgment, from the 
Pope downward, was alarmed for the cause it was intended to advance. 
Then he invaded Oxford, that its rich endowments might lie shared by 
the Catholics. The University plucked up courage and resisted; and, in 
consequence, twenty-five of its officers were expelled and rendered in- 
capable of holding any church preferment. As a. last plunge, preparatory 
to the tumble from his throne the blind king resolved to have his decla- 
ration of liberty of conscience read in every church in the realm. 

. May 4. 

Little did he dream of the spirit he was provoking. Archbishop 
Sancroft, of Canterbury, and six other bishops, in a petition refused to 
obey the command. The next day was the Sunday fixed for the 

' May 18. 

reading, and only about two hundred out of ten thousand clergy- 
men complied with the requisition. Against all advice, the seven bishops 
were committed to the Tower. They were taken to that dismal prison 



330 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

by water; and, as they passed along, the crowds of people, who had 
assembled in startling numbers, fell upon their knees, and wept and 
prayed for them. When they entered the iron gates, the officers and 
sold ins on guard besought their blessing. During their confinement, 
the soldiers of the army every day drank, with loud shouts, to their 
release. When they were arraigned before the Court of King's Bench, 
they were surrounded by a throng of noblemen and gentlemen and a 
multitude of sympathizing people. The jury brought in a verdict of 
" not guilty," and such a shout went up as had never before been heard 
in Westminster Hall, and was passed on from street to street, away to 
Temple Bar, and to the Tower, and westward, till it reached the camp at 
Hoimslow, where fifteen thousand soldiers took it up, and echoed it again 
and again. The king heard the mighty roar, and asked in alarm what it 
meant ? " It is nothing but the acquittal of the Bishops," answered one 
of his Lords. "Call you that nothing?" exclaimed his Majesty. " It is 
so much the worse for them." 

Between the petition of the Bishops and the trial, the queen gave birth 
to a son. The prospect of a Catholic successor, which was a great 
' consolation to James, since both of his daughters were Protestants, 
produced for him an unlooked-for and extraordinary result. Several of 
the leading noblemen of the realm, among whom was the Earl of Shrews- 
bury, the Earl of Danby, the Earl of Devonshire, Lord Lumley, the 
Bishop of London, Admiral Paissel and Colonel Sidney, on the 
evening after the acquittal of the Bishops, sent a secret invitation 
tn the Prince of Orange to come over to England. 

Admiral Russel had visited the Hague in May, while it was still un- 
certain whether or not the declaration would be read in the churches, and 
had held a long interview with Prince William, advising him to appear 
in England at the head of a strong body of troops and call the people to 
arms. William was inclined to suspect the courage of those who talked 
about sacrificing their lives and fortunes in such an enterprise, and finally 
declined giving the subject consideration until distinct invitations and 
pledges of support should come to him from responsible sources. He or- 
dered prayers to be said under his own roof for his little brother-in-law, 
and sent a formal message of congratulation to London. Presently the 
rumor reached him that not more than one person in ten believed 1 the 
child to have really been born of the queen. Mary partook of the pre- 
vailing suspicion, and the prayers for the Prince of Wales ceased in her 
private chapel. If she had ever loved her father, this supposed attempt 

1 Clarendon's Diary, 1688. Correspondence between Aniie and Mary in DalrympU. Clarice's 
Lift of James II. Burnet. Macaulay's Hist, of Eng. Bonquillo. 



THE CHARACTER OF WILLIAM III. 



331 



to deprive her of her rights must have alienated her affections. It was 
iii;m\ years since she had seen him. He had done nothing since her mar- 
riage to call forth tenderness on her part. On the contrary he had tried 
to disturb her domestic happiness, and had introduced spies, eaves-drop- 
pers, and tale-hearers under her roof. 

The direct influence exerted by Prince William Henry upon the for- 
tunes of New York seems to demand a brief glance at his person and 
character. He was 
less than forty years 
of age, with a face of 
fifty, and a wasted, 
attenuated body, thai 
seemed scarcely able 
to sustain the burden 
of existence. His fac- 
ulties ripened at a 
time of life, when, in 
ordinary men. they 
have scarcely begun 
to blossom. While 
but a lad, he aston- 
ished the fathers of 
the Dutch Common- 
wealth by his graA ity 
and self-control. At 
twenty-three, he was 
famous all nver Eu- 
rope as a soldier am 
a politician. He had 
been weak and sickly 
from his birth ; and 

his feeble frame was Portrait of William III. 

constantly shaken by 

a hoarse asthmatic cough He never slept unless his head was propped 
by several pillows, and he could scarcely draw his breath in any but the 
purest air. He was the victim of severe nervous headaches, and exertion 
quickly fatigued him. He was neither a happy nor a good-humored man. 
His pale, thin face was deeply furrowed, and a cloud seemed ever to resl 

Upon his thoughtful brow. His eyes were bright, keen, and restless . Ins 

nose curved like the heak of an eagle ; and his compressed lips gave to his 
whole aspect an air of pensive s verity. 




332 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF- NEW YORK. 

But he was endowed with the qualities of a great ruler. He had a 
hard aud iuviucible will, which forced him at times into the performance 
of the most herculean labors. He could praise and reprimand, reward 
and punish, with the stern tranquillity of an Indian chieftain. When 
enraged, the outbreak of his passion was something terrible to witness, 
and it was scarcely safe, at such times, to approach him. His affection 
was as impetuous as his wrath ; although, to the world in general, he 
appeared to be one of the coldest and most unfeeling of men. When 
death separated him from the object of his love, the few who witnessed 
his agonies trembled for his reason and his life. 

He was not, in a fashionable or a literary sense, accomplished; and, in 
social intercourse, he was either ignorant or negligent of the little graces 
which increase the value of a favor and take away the sting of a refusal 
He understood Latin, Italian, and Spanish, and spoke and wrote French, 
Euglish, and German, fluently, although inelegantly. He cared little for 
science, but was intensely interested in all questions of international 
usage, of finance, and of war. He was a born statesman. His theology 
had been molded by the faith of his ancestors, the discussions in the 
synod of Dort, and the austere and inflexible logic of the Genevese school. 
The tenet of predestination was the keystone of his religion, but he 
openly avowed his fixed aversion to intolerance and persecution. 

His marriage had been purely a political consideration. He devoted 
himself to public business, field sports, and some of the beautiful ladies 
of Mary's Court, and proved himself one of the most negligent of hus- 
bands. For nine years, he and his young wife lived estranged, but 
Mary's gentleness gradually won upon his esteem. There was one cause 
by which they were kept asunder, of which Mary had not the slightest 
suspicion. A time might come when she would be Queen of England, 
while her husband, with the same royal blood in his veins, ambitious, 
versed in diplomacy, understanding the state of every court in Europe, 
and bent on enterprises of magnitude, could only hold power from her 
bounty and during her pleasure. It was but natural that a man so fond 
of authority and so conscious of strength should have been stung with 
jealousy, in view of his humiliating position. Bishop Burnet, Mary's 
spiritual director and confidential adviser, blurted the truth to her, one 
morning, and she thus learned, for the first time, that, when she became 
Queen of England, William would not share her throne. She tearfully 
sought the remedy. Burnet explained to her, that, when she received 
the crown, she might, if she desired, easily induce Parliament to give the 
regal title to her husband, and even transfer to him by legislative act the 
administration of the government. Mary was delighted with this oppor- 



WILLIAMS EXPEDITION TO ENGLAND. 333 

tunity of showing her magnanimity and her attachment, and sent Burnet 
at once in quest of William, and sweetly assured the latter with her 
own lips that he shoidd always bear rule, only asking him in return to 
observe the precept which enjoins husbands to love their wives. Her 
generosity melted the ice of so many years' formation, and the warmest 
affection took the place of painful indifference. Bishop Burnet thereby 
rendered to Ins country a service of the gravest moment, for it was not 
long before the public safety depended upon the mutual confidence and 
perfect concord of William and Mary. 

The difficulties in the way of their accession to the throne of England 
were very many, and appeared insurmountable. But they were all com- 
prehended in the grasp of one fallacious mind which planned their solu- 
tion with consummate skill. Mary sympathized in her husband's every 
movement, and regarded the contemplated undertaking as just and holy. 
William's objects seemed incompatible with each other, — to lead enthu- 
siastic Protestants on a crusade against Popery with the good wishes of 
almost every Popish government, and even of the Pope himself Put 
whether he rightly estimated the meaning and the direction of the great 
movements of the time, and was conscious that all through Europe there 
was the stirring of a new intellectual power and an irresistible tendency 
towards democratic conditions of society, or was prompted purely by a 
desire to resist the power of France and the progress of tyranny and per- 
secution, and to rescue Protestantism and constitutional liberty in Eng- 
land, he certainly accomplished all, and more than all he contemplated. 
The history of ancient and modern times records no other such triumph 
in statesmanship. 

His future course once decided upon, William urged his preparations 
with indefatigable activity. A military and naval expedition was quietly 
and skillfully organized in the Netherlands. For a time, neither .Tames 
nor Louis was aware of its object. Eimiors, however, reached the ears of 
the former which caused him great anxiety. At last, a dispatch told the 
whole story : the blood left the cheeks of the now thoroughly awakened 
king, and he remained for some time speechless. The first easterly wind 
would bring a hostile army to the shores of England. All Europe, one 
power only excepted, was impatiently waiting for his downfall. He was 
overcome by absolute fear. He tried to conciliate the Tories, forgetting 
that concessions had always been the ruin of kings. But the Tories stood 
aloof. 

All at once, William's expedition landed at Torbay. It produced less 
excitement than had been anticipated. A full week elapsed 
before any man of note joined the invaders. II' James had acted 



334 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

with ordinary efficiency, even then his cause might not have been lost. 
William, who had hazarded everything, was excessively mortified at the 
coolness of his reception. He became so indignant, that he threatened 
to return to Holland. Several parties of consequence were, however, on 
their way to join his .standard. One example stimulated another. His 
forces swelled rapidly. .Tohu, Lord Lovelace, of Hurley, the brother of 
the former governor of New York, with his command, and Edward, Lord 
Cornbury, who was in command of three regiments of cavalry, went 
quietly to William's quarters, and their troops were pressed into the new 
service through the offer of a bounty equal to a month's pay. The 
tidings of Cornbury's defection reached the king just as he was sitting 
down to dinner. He turned quickly away, swallowed a crust of bread 
ami a glass of wine, and retired to his closet. Meanwhile, several gentle- 
men in whom lie had implicit confidence were rejoicing over the occur- 
rence in the next room, and laughing heartily. When the queen heard 
the news she broke out in screams of agonizing sorrow. 

The quarters of William at Exeter soon presented the appearance of a 
court. More than sixty noblemen and gentlemen were there assembled, 
and the display of rich liveries, and of coaches each drawn by six horses, 
gave to the Cathedral Close something of the splendor of Whitehall. 
Bishop Burnet drew up a paper, which was approved and eagerly signed 
by the English adherents, by which they promised to stand by William 
until the liberties and the religion of the nation should be effectually 
secured. 

James bustled, and prepared to maintain his honor by force of arms. 
All at once, Churchill went over to the Protestants. Confusion reigned 
in the royal camp. News came that Kirke had followed Churchill. No 
one knew whom to trust or whom to obey. James was in despair. At 
the supper-table, in Andover, he had the company of his son-in-law, 
Prince George, and the Duke of Ormond. Both were intending to join 
Churchill at the earliest possible moment, and were silent and taciturn. 
Prince George was always stupid. It was his habit, when he heard a 
piece of news, to exclaim in French, " Est-il iiossible f " So, when he 
was told that Churchill was missing, his first and only response was, 
" Est-il possible ? " And at every fresh report of ill-tidings, he uttered 
in the same tone, " Est-il possible ? " They finished their supper, and the 
king retired to rest. Prince George and the Duke of Ormond left the 
Uil ile, mounted their horses, and rode to the Protestant camp. When 
James was informed of this new defection, on the following morning, 
"What!" he exclaimed, "is est-il possible gone too? After all, a good 
trooper would have been a greater loss." 



WILLIAM'S RECEPTION IN LONDON. 335 

On the morning of the 26th, the apartments of the Princess Anne al 
Whitehall, were found empty. She had abandoned her father, to 
follow her husband and William. This affliction forced a cry 
of agony from the king's lips. "God help me," he said, "my own chil- 
dren have forsaken me ! " 

He instituted negotiations with William, in order to gain time to send 
the queen and the Prince of Wales into France. He then made imme- 
diate preparations to abdicate the throne. At three o'clock in the morn- 
ing of the 11th of December, he rose from his bed, ordered the lord of his 
bedchamber not to open the door until the usual hour, and, passing down 
the back stairway, set out in the disguise of a servant, accompanied by 
Sir Edward Hales, on a fishing-boat to France. He threw the Greal Seal 
into the Thames, where it was found by a fisherman some months after- 
ward. He was arrested by some sailors, who were watching lor priests 
and other delincpients, and taken to Feversham. Having told his captors 
who he was, a great crowd came together to see the proud king- in such 
mean hands, it was a trifling incident, and yet it proved to be the 
origin of the Jacobites. Until now, the king had scarcely had a party; 
but from this moment one budded into existence which was long active 
for his interests. 

William regretted most keenly that James failed in his attempt to 
escape. It was a tender point, how to dispose of his person. With the 
desertion of the sovereign, the nation was free, and at liberty to secure 
itself. William would not consent to make the father of his wife a pris- 
oner. It was necessary to send him out of London, and a guard was or- 
dered to attend him, not to hamper his movements, but for his protection 
and defense. It had the appearance of forcible expulsion and elicited 
sympathy in his behalf in various quarters, creating much mischief for 
those who came after him. He left finally on the last day of the year 
and leached France in safety. 

Even before he arrived in London, William ordered that the papists 
should lie secured from all violence. He was warmly welcomed by the 
different bodies; such as, first the bishops, then the clergy, the city offi- 
cials, and others, in the order of their importance. When the lawyers 
came, William took notice of one who was nearly ninety years of age, 
and said to him, " You must have outlived all the men of the law of 
your time." " Yes," he replied, " and I should have outlived the law 
itself, if your Highness had not come over." 

The government once assumed, William published a proclamation, con- 
tinuing in office all magistrates, and another, ordering the collection of 
the revenue. He remodeled the army, reappointing many of the officers 



336 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

whom James had removed. The Common Council of London raised in 
forty-eight hours the sum of two hundred thousand pounds, to extricate 
him from his financial difficulties. The disturbances which had been 
occasioned by the suspension of all regular government were soon at an 
end, and a sense of security was implanted throughout the kingdom. 
The Catholics were treated with the utmost kindness, and the Span- 
ish minister reported to the Pope, that no one of that faith need feel any 
scruple of conscience on account of the late Revolution in England. 
William called a Convention Parliament, which declared that the 
English throne was vacant by the abdication of the king. It then 
Jan ' 22 ' cordially offered the crown to William and Mary, by whom it was 
accepted. The very night before this was to be done, Mary arrived in 
Feb. 12. safety from Holland. On the 13th of February the whole affair 
Feb. i3. was consummated and William and Mary were proclaimed king 
and ipieen of England. 

Louis took the part of James. He spoke of the Revolution as a fright- 
ful domestic tragedy. The politics of a long and glorious line of kings 
had been confounded in a day. William's concpiest was admired even in 
France, but he was personally abhorred. The conduct of the unnatural 
daughters of James was execrated ; the queen and her infant son were 
objects of pity and romantic interest. Louis set an example of royal 
munificence in providing for the hapless king and his family, and lav- 
ished upon them every courtly attention. 




Second Seal of the City of New York. 
(For description see page 31S.) 



THE REVOLUTION. 337 



CHAPTER XIX. 

1689. 

THE REVOLUTION. 

The Revolution. — Sir William Phipps. — Rev. Dr. Increase Mather. —The Bill 
and its Fate. — The News in New York. — The News in Boston. — Revolution in 
Boston. — Revolution throughout New England. — New York alarmed. — The 
Lieutenant-Governor and his Council. — The Public Money. — Anxiety and Pre- 
cautionary Measures. — The Militia of New York. —Jacob Leisler. — The 
Cargo of Wine. — TheCloud on Long Island. — Wild Rumors. — Plot to destroy 
New York. —Lieutenant Henry Cutler. — Revolution in New York. — Con- 
fusion. — Leisler's Declaration. — The Black Saturday. —Events of Monday. 
— The False Alarm and its Results. — The Disabled Government. — Philip 
French. — Leisler's Correspondence. — Nicholson sails for England. — Leisler's 
Infatuation. — Captains De Peyster and Stuyvesant. — Proclamation of Wil- 
liam and Mary. — Drinking the New King's Health. — Riotous i 'onduct. — The 
Fight at the Custom-House. — Colonel Bayard's Escape. — Leisler's Conven- 
tion. — The "Committee of Safety." — The Mayor's Court. 

TWO days after the coronation, a new privy council was chosen. It 
was composed chiefly of Whigs ; but the names of a few 1689. 
eminent Tories appeared on the list. It was thereby understood Feb - 16 - 
that William did not intend to proscribe any class of men who were will- 
ing to support his throne. Even the new Committee for Foreign Planta- 
tions were noblemen from both political parties. This committee met at 
once, and prepared drafts of Proclamations, to send to the Ameri- 
can colonies. They also wrote letters to the colonial governors, 
signifying the pleasure of William that all men in office under the late 
king should be so continued until further notice. 

The irregular convention which had conferred the monarchy of Eng- 
land upon the new sovereigns was transformed into a Parliament, 
and went on making laws, as if it had unimpeachable authority. 
It did not extend the Test Act to the colonies, but it required every per- 
son holding office to take an oath of allegiance to William and Mary; 
and it simply abjured the Pope's authority, ecclesiastical and spiritual, 
throughout the realm of England. While not a single new right was 

22 



338 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

given to the people, order was preserved The nation supported the 
throne, and thus the revolution — of all revolutions in history the least 
violent — proved a peace revolution. The executive power and the 
legislative power no longer impeded each other in the passage of such 
laws as were found necessary for the public weal. 

The agents of Massachusetts iu England, Sir William Phipps and Eev. 
Dr. Increase Mather, watched events with keen interest. Sir William 
was the son of a Pemaquid farmer and one of a family of twenty-six 
children. In his boyhood lie had tended sheep, and at the age of eighteen 
had learned the trade of a ship-carpenter. He grew up illiterate and ill- 
mannered, and having adopted a seafaring life, chanced, through a series 
of fortuitous circumstances, to come under the notice of King James, who 
was pleased with his bustling energy and made him commander of one of 
his frigates. Soon afterward, in consideration of some valiant service, 
James knighted him, and presently offered him the government of Massa- 
chusetts ; but, as the offer was made just prior to the abdication, no further 
action was ever taken in the matter. 

Eev. Dr. Increase Mather, the son of Eev. Eichard Mather, was born 
in Massachusetts in 1639. After graduating at Harvard College in 1656, 
he went to Europe, and in 1658 was made Master of Arts in the Dublin 
University. He married the daughter of the celebrated Eev. John 
Cotton, of Boston, and had ten children. 1 He was pastor of the North 
Church in Boston from 1664 to 1723, a period of fifty-nine years, and 
was the author of ninety-two publications, besides many short fugitive 
articles. He was a gentleman, as well as one of the profoundest scholars 
of his time, — a Puritan, w T hose whole anxiety was for the future of the 
New England colonies. 

Sir Henry Ashurst was a steadfast friend of Massachusetts and influen- 
tial in the House of Commons. He was a personal friend of Dr. 
'Mather, and together with the latter, and Sir William Phipps, was 
chiefly instrumental in pushing through the House a bill to restore the 
corporations both at home and abroad to their original condition in 1660. 
When this act was shown to William, he was seriously annoyed. Such a 
law could not but imperil his prerogative. It was consequently delayed 
in the House of Lords until the Convention Parliament was dissolved. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Mather had been for some time in correspondence with 
Abraham Kick, an eminent Hollander. The latter had contrived to sur- 
prise Mary, before she left the Hague, into a promise that she would 
favor New England. Upon the strength of her unguarded words, Dr. 

1 The distinguished Rev. Cotton Mather was the son of Dr. Increase Mather, and was the 
author of three hundred and eighty-two distinct publications. 



THE NEWS IN BOSTON. 339 

Mather and Sir William appeared before the king with a petition that 
Governor Andros should be removed, and that Massachusetts, Plymouth, 
Rhode Island, and Connecticut should lie restored to their former privi- 
leges and the rule of their former governors. 

William was confounded. He had no intention of disuniting his royal 
dominion of New England. But he was too cautious a statesman to 
speak his whole mind in such a crisis. He listened graciously, and, 
knowing that Sir William and Sir Edmund were sworn foes, signified in 
general terms his willingness to remove the latter. To Dr. Mather he 
intimated the possibility of a new charter and a colonial assembly. Yet. 
notwithstanding this apparent compliance with their recpaests, he was 
so coldly non-committal that neither of the gentlemen was satisfied, and 
they learned shortly after, to their dismay, that he was being urged by 
his Whig advisers to carry into vigorous execution some of the most rigid 
colonial measures of his predecessor, in order to bring those remote do- 
minions into a nearer dependence upon the crown. 

There were no deep-sea cables in those days and news crossed the 
Atlantic tardily and uncertainly. It was in January that the first inti- 
mation of the hostile movements of the Prince of Orange reached the 
American shores. Even then, the report was not well authenticated. 
A Virginia coasting-vessel brought it to New York. Captain Greveraet 
called upon Lieutenant-Governor Nicholson, and repeated the story. 
which had come verbally and at second hand to him, and which sounded 
altogether incredible. "Nonsense!" exclaimed Nicholson, laughing con- 
temptuously, " if the report is true the very 'prentice boys of London will 
drive him out again. He will have no better success than Monmouth." 

In the latter part of February, Jacob Leisler, while in Mary lam I on 
business, heard a rumor to the same effect, and, on his return to New 
York, put it into general circulation. The first day of March, Nicholson 
received, through a Quaker traveler, a letter from Governor Blackwell of 
Pennsylvania, saying that he had examined one Zagharia Whitepaine, a 
sailor recently arrived, who declared upon oath that the Prince of Orange 
had invaded England. Seventeen other letters to different persons in 
New York were 1 in night from Pennsylvania by the same traveler. These 
were placed for distribution in the hands of Nicholson and his council, 
who formally resolved to open them, "for the prevention of tumult ami 
the divulging of such strange news." The substance of each letter was 
a confirmation of what had been already learned. They immediately 
sent two expresses, one by water and the other by land, to Governor 
Andros, who was in Maine bravely defending the frontier against 

i tt i ' t -n -^i i March 16. 

the savages. He returned promptly to Boston, accompanied by 
three members of his council, Graham, West, and Palmer. 



340 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Nothing further was learned either definitely or otherwise, until the 
4th of April, when there entered Boston harbor a ship from Nevis 

p ' in the West Indies, and John Winslow, one of her passengers, had 
copies of the Prince's declaration of the previous October. He also had 
in his possession some printed accounts of William's entrance into Eng- 
land. He exhibited the papers to several persons, but did not take them 
to the governor. Finally Andros sent for him and questioned him close- 
ly ; but he refused to give any information or to produce the documents, 
and, in consequence of his contumacy, was committed to prison. 

Dr. Mather had written private letters, which reached Boston by the 
same vessel ; but they were dated a long time prior to the coronation of 
William and Mary. They were addressed to members of his own family. 
It was whispered, however, that in them he had expressed his belief that 
a charter with large powers for Massachusetts would immediately follow 
William's accession to the English throne. The Puritan prayer was 
henceforth, " success to the Dutch prince over the popish king." 

It was not many days before Andros became convinced that something 
unusual was going on in and around Boston. He was a thoroughly loyal 
officer, and did not suspect the extent of the slanderous misrepresenta- 
tions of his own conduct, which were inflaming the public mind. He 
wrote to Brockholls, whom he had left in command at Pemaquid, that he 
had good reason to believe that some of the Indians had been traitor- 
ously supplied with ammunition by Boston merchants, and ordered him 
to keep a strict guard to prevent surprise. He would have been surprised, 
himself, had he known what all the "buzzing and commotion" signified 
The people said he was about to oppose the lawful commands of the new 
sovereigns ; that he was in league with the French ; that he had hired the 
New York Mohawks to destroy Boston ; that he had poisoned the soldiers 
in Maine ; with a great many other equally absurd and inconsistent 
things, which found credence in a community which could see no escape 
fn an the evils of Popery save in the restoration of the Puritan oligarchy. 
On the evening of Aprd 17, Andros entertained the gentlemen 

pn ' of his council at dinner. He retired at his usual hour and his 
sleep was undisturbed until late the next morning, when, while at break- 
fast, he was informed that people were coming into town in great 

prl numbers from the rural districts. The street soon had the ap- 
pearance of an annual fair-day, only there were fewer women to be seen. 
Finally, the militia companies marched rapidly through one of the prin- 
cipal thoroughfares. 

While Andros was investigating the nature of the disturbance, the 
prominent citizens were assembling in the Town House. Eev. Cotton 



REVOLUTION THROUGHOUT NEW ENGLAND. 341 

Mather read to them a " Declaration " which he had prepared, giving 
reasons for revolting against the present government. A summons was 
quickly signed for the arrest of the governor and his council. Andros was 
taken wholly unawares, and, of course, resistance was out of the question 
He was escorted to prison, together with Graham, West, Palmer, and the 
other officers of the crown. A " Council of Safety " was chosen; to man- 
age public affairs, whose purpose was said to be, " to preserve the govern- 
ment until directions should arrive from England." The old magistrates 
were reinstated in office, and quiet and good order soon prevailed through- 
out Boston. 1 

This proceeding had a singular tinge of secession ; it was, as viewed 
from our present stand-point, uncalled for, and unjustifiable. Hut the 
stern New-Englander was unwilling to await the result of the political 
agitation in the mother country, and feared that the officers under James 
would attempt to re-establish their fallen monarch. The danger was im- 
aginary to a great extent. And the dread of absolute power in a spiritual 
order blinded the eyes of the wise men of Massachusetts to the fait that 
the vigorous but narrow creed of Puritanism was only another form of 
religious despotism. 

The idea of insurrection traveled with rapidity. Plymouth, 

April 22. 

sheltered under the wings of her more sanctified neighbor, Boston, 
proceeded to place her former governor, Hinckley, in the chair of state, 
ami adopted her old style of administration. Rhode Island did likewise. 
That is. she reinstated her old magistrates. It was accomplished Mayi 
quietly on the first day of May. Connecticut was reconstructed, Ma y 9 - 
nine days later, on the skeleton of the copy of the famous charter, which 
was exhumed from the hollow oak at Hartford. Thus, without the knowl- 
edge and against the purpose of William, his dominion of New England 
was disunited forever. 

Imperial New York rejoiced over the disseverment of the bond, freeing 
her from political connection with New England. Dutch New York es- 
chewed all manner of religious fanaticism. The English families of New 
York were attached to the Church of England and had no symvathy 
with the meddling spirit of Puritanism. New York was intolerant of 
both Popery and Puritanism, and ready to plunge headlong into intense 
devotion to a Dutch prince who was so suddenly transformed into an 
English king. 

New York was intrenched in prejudice, but prejudice as unlike that 

1 Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll. Conn. Hist. Soc. Coll. Palmer's Impartial Account. Hutch. 
Muss. Chalmers' Annals. Barry. Arnold. Brodhead. Palfrey. Bancroft. Rhode Island 
Records. Force Tracts. Graham*-. Hildreth. New York Col. Doc. 



342 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

which moved the people of Boston into rebellion as the Temperance 
Reform from Mahometanism, — the total abstinence from wine being 
the only like article in the two creeds. Popery was the horrible ogre. 
Protestants were everywhere united in their abhorrence and fear of it, 
There had been no complaint or even suggestion of misrule as far as 
Lieutenant-Governor Nicholson was concerned. He was a straightfor- 
ward English official, obeying orders to the letter. He was a devout and 
consistent Episcopalian, never omitting his public Sunday devotions. All 
at once, however, he was suspected of intrigue and double dealing. Why 
might not he be a tool of Catholic James and secretly at work in the hit- 
ter's interests ? Some one told how he knelt to say mass in the king's 
tent on Hounslow Heath, three years before ! It was retold again and 
again, and men's faces paled while they listened. Nobody stopped to 
consider that any courtly gentleman would have done the same thing if 
accidentally present on such an occasion. 

The resident members of the Governor's council were Frederick 1'hil- 
ipse, Stephanus Van Cortlandt, and Nicholas Bayard. They were all 
members of the Dutch Eeformed Church, and the last two were deacons 
in good and regular standing. They were men of wealth and of aristo- 
cratic tastes. Philipse was sixty-three years of age, dignified, elegant, and 
conservative. He could balance himself between two tires with more tact 
and less danger than any other man in our history. Van Cortlandt was 
forty-six years of age, and, besides holding a commission from the crown 
as counselor to the governor, was the mayor of the city. He had been a 
popular public man for more than twenty years, but at this critical mo- 
ment a whisper was started that he was a secret Catholic, and it seemed 
to be verified from the fact that he took part a few months before in the 
celebration of the birth of the Prince of Wales, and became so hilarious 
that he threw his periwig with its long flowing ringlets into the air. 
Bayard was the younger of the three and occupied a distinguished posi- 
tion as counselor to the governor and commander-in-chief of the New 
York militia. He was fond of display and conspicuously imperious. He 
was bright, genial, witty, quick-tempered and vindictive. He had many 
warm personal friends among his equals socially and politically, but he 
was feared and disliked by his inferiors. 

Nicholson and his council met on the 2d of March, and re- 
' solved that Plowman, the king's collector (who was a Catholic), 
should bring the public money, which he had hitherto kept at his lodgings 
in a private house some distance away, to the port for safe-keeping. A 
strong chest was provided, and locked and sealed by the collector himself, 
until orders should arrive from England. This precautionary movement 



Til E PUBLIC MO KEY. VAV> 

was the immediate occasion of a wide-spread terror, which was confined, 

however, to the lower and more illiterate classes. 

"When news came of the imprisonment of Andros, Xichol>on 

...... . April 26. 

requested the common council ot the city to meet m session with 
his special council in order to advise more intelligently as to the proper 
course to pursue in order to keep the country quiet. They met the 
nexl day in the City Hall. The common council consisted of John p 
Lawrence, Francis Eombouts, William Merritt, Thomas Crundall, Paulus 
Richards, 1 Johannes Kip, Balthazar Bayard, Anthony De Milt, Tennis 
De Kay, and Peter De Lanoy. It was then resolved to call in the chief 
military officers in the afternoon. There was perfect harmony in the meet- 
in- : and in view of the jealousies and fears of the inhabitants occasioned 
by a rumor that war had broken out between the English and French, it 
was unanimously agreed that the city must be fortified. Aldermen Crun- 
dall, Kip, De Lanoy, and Balthazar Bayard, together with Captains Abra- 
ham De Peyster and Jacob Leisler, were appointed a committee to survey 
the city, and determine upon the points most exposed. Money was 
scarce and it was decided to apply the revenues from the first of May, 
towards paying for the new defenses. 

Nicholson and the three gentlemen of his council sent for the justices 
of the peace and the military officers of the various counties in the prov- 
ince and enjoined upon them strict care and watchfulness. They also 
wrote letters to Winthrop, Treat, Allyn, Younge, Pinchon, Clarke. New - 
bury, and Smith, of New England, of which the following is a copy, it 
being duplicated and sent to each. 2 

1 Paulus Richards was the son of a French nobleman. The crest of his coat-of-arms was a 
lion's head in silver ; the motto, " I bend lmt break not." He was driven into Holland 
through religious persecution in 1650. Ten years afterward he came and settled in New Am- 
sterdam, and in 1664, married Gelatie, daughter of the celebrated Anetje Jans. He became 
one of the leading men in the colony and city. He was an alderman from 1686 to 1697. 
His house stood upon the corner of Whitehall Street and Broadway. His son, Stephen Rich- 
ards, born in 1670, married Maria, daughter of Johannes Van Brugh, and grand-daughter of 
Anetje Jans. They had nine children. One daughter, Elizabeth, married Nicholas Van 
Taerling. Paid Richards, the eldest son, organized a large mercantile firm, which included 
his five brothers, and transacted business on an extensive scale with Europe and the East and 
West Indies. They had business houses in New Haven, Philadelphia, Norfolk, and in tic- 
Island of Bermuda. He was a prominent man, an intimate personal friend of Lieutenant- 
Governor De Lancey, several years a member of the Assembly, and at one time, in 1784, ap- 
pointed counselor to the governor in place of Rip Van Dam. In 17S3, he was sent with 
Sir William Johnson to represent the city and county of New York in a conference bi twi en 
Governor Clinton and the Mohawk Indians. He was one of the gentlemen to whom tic char- 
ter of Columbia College was granted, and made a bequest of four hundred pounds sterling to 
that institution. His brother, John Richards, married Elizabeth Van Rensselaer, and their 
son Stephen married Margaret Livingston. 

- New Vork Hist. Soc Coll., 1868, p. 248. 



344 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Se. 

Having received the surprising news that the Inhabitants of Boston have sett 
up a Gouvernment for themselves and disabled his Excellency the Capt. Generall 
and Gouvernor in Chieff from acting in the gouvernment These are therefore 
to desire you That you would come with all expedition to advise and consult 
with us what proper is to be done for the safety and welfare off the Gouvern- 
ment this Citty and part of the gouvernment being resolved to continue in 
their station till further order. Soe not doubting off y r Complyance Eemaine 
Y r friends & humble Servants 
Fr. Nicholson 
Fred. Philipsb 
Step. Van Cortlandt, 
Nich. Bayard. 
New Yorcke, 1689 Aprill the 27th. 

The city militia consisted of six free companies called train-bands, 
embraced in a colonel's command. As many of the regular soldiers were 
in Maine it was the only defense of New York, with the exception of a 
sergeant's guard of royal troops which garrisoned the fort. Nicholson 
proposed that one of these train-hands should mount guard every night, 
supposing it would give the people a greater sense of security. Bayard 
was their colonel ; and the six captains were Abraham De Peyster, Johan- 
nes De Bruyn, 1 Gabriel Minvielle, Charles Lodwyck, Nicholas Stuyves- 
ant, and Jacob Leisler. De Peyster was a rich and aristocratic merchant 
of fine intelligence and excellent parts, the son of Johannes De Peyster. 
He was of French descent, as was also De Bruyn and Minvielle. The 
latter had been a resident of New York for about twenty years. His wife 
was the daughter of John Lawrence ; and he was at one time mayor of 
the city. Lodwyck was an English merchant and an old-time Whig of 
the deepest dye. He was a man of irreproachable character, and of no 
mean ability. Five years afterward he was elected mayor of the city. 
Stuyvesant was the son of the old governor, and about forty years of age. 

1 Johannes De Bruyn was the first of the name in this country. He was of French descent, 
and the ancestor of the New York family of Brown. Indeed his name is sometimes spelled 
both ways, De Bruyn, and Brown, in the same manuscript document. He was an educated 
young man with considerable property. He commanded all the colonial forces in the war with 
the Indians just after the Colonial Revolution. His son, W. Brown, married Elizabeth 
Taerling, the granddaughter of Stephen Richards, and held many important positions. Their 
son Stephen Richards Brown, born 1765, had a daughter Maria who married Oliver Du Bois. 
The children of the latter were as follows : Stephen ; Richard ; Adeline ; Catharine. Ade- 
line married Samuel Russel, and her daughter Almira married Major-General Hancock. 
Catharine married William Bennett, and her children were Helen, Emma, and Louisa. Helen 
married General S. S. Carroll, of Carrollton, and Emma married Leopold Bouvia. The chil- 
dren of the latter are Laura, Maurice, and Bertha. 



JACOB LEISLER. 345 

He was in possession of the family estate and lived on the farm near 
Thirteenth Street. He had lost his first wife, Maria Beekman, and had 
recently married Elizabeth Slechtenhorst 

Jacob Leisler was the hero of the hour. He was a German, and not a 
Dutchman as has generally been supposed. He was born at Frankfort- 
on-the-Maine. Of his origin and early life very little is known. He had 
been a resident of New York about thirty years. He married, in 1663, 
Elsie (Tymens), step-daughter of Govert Loockermans, and widow of the 
wealthy Peter Cornelisen Vanderveen. 1 He was thus connected by mar- 
riage with Van Cortlandt and Philipse, and he was the brother-in-law of 
Balthazar Bayard. He was a deacon in the Beformed Dutch Church and 
a thriving man of business. He had never held any public office of im- 
portance, but his standing was respectable, such that in 1674 he was 
chosen one of the commissioners (Martin Cregier and Francis Bombouts 
being his associates) to provide means for the defense of the city, and he 
was assessed as " one of the most affluent inhabitants." 2 

He was a man of energetic will and great force of character, but he had 
little education and 
c< miparatively speak- 
ing no manners. He 
hated the crown, and 
the Church of Eng- 
land; he was a zealous 
champion of Belgian 

republicanism, and a Leisler's Autograph. 

rancorous though con- 
sistent party man. He was loud and coarse in conversation, and when 
angry would swear like a porter. He said bitter things which he readily 
forgot when pacified, but which others remembered to his sorrow and 
dishonor. His native epiickness and sagacity would have rendered him 
eminent as a leader, but prosperity made him self-sufficient and boastful ; 
and his want of knowledge of the world muddled his understanding. 1 lis 
integrity was unquestionable, his loyalty unimpeachable, and he had a 
strong but distorted sense of duty and honor. In short, he possessed the 
elements of executive power without the balancing characteristics. He 

1 Marriage Register of (he Collegiate U. H. Church in New York. Mr. and Mrs. Leisler 
had seven children : Susanna, b. February 10, 1664 ; Catharine, b. November 8, 1665 ; Jacob, 
b. November 13, 1667 ; Mary, b. December 12, 1669 ; Johannes, b. December 20, 1671 ; Hes- 
ter, b. October 8, 1673 ; and Francina, b. December 16, 1676. Register of Baptisms in Col- 
legiate /.'. /'. Church. 

2 Minutes oftht Council of the Administration of Commanders Evcrtsen and Bincks, Feb. 1, 
1674. Assessment Lists, Feb. 19, 1674. 



VrbZZ. 




346 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

was of medium height, robust frame, full round figure, austere visage, 
dressed carelessly, made long prayers, and was rigid in the performance of 
every Christian duty. He had some legal knowledge picked up in practice 
lit' no very high kind, and he had used it in one or two lawsuits to the 
great pecuniary disadvantage of Van Cortlandt and Bayard, an offense 
which had terminated all social intercourse between the families. 

He was an importer of liquors, and on the 29th one of his vessels 
entered the harbor with a cargo of wine on board. He refused 
pri " ' to pay the duties, which amounted to one hundred dollars, on the 
ground that Collector Plowman being a Catholic w T as not qualified to 
receive the customs under the new power. The case was discussed at 
the meeting of the counselors, aldermen, and military officers, and the 
majority were of the opinion that the present official structure was sound 
uutil contrary orders came from the new r sovereigns. Leisler became 
very much exasperated, and swore he would not pay a penny to Plow- 
man ; he used language more forcible than elegant, and finally turned on 
his heel and left the council-chamber before the matter was adjusted. 

As was feared, others declined to pay duties, shielding themselves 
under the excuse which Leisler had advanced. In apprehension of 
an attack from some foreign foe, watchmen were stationed at Coney Island 
to give an alarm if more than three vessels should come together within 
Sandy Hook. Nicholson and his council wrote to the Plantation Com- 
mittee over the water, expressing their regret at the want of definite in- 
structions, and picturing the painful embarrassment under which they 
groaned. 

The greatest activity prevailed about the new fortifications. The 
council met daily. The Indians were carefully watched, and an order 
given that no rum should be sold them. But the most serious 
' mischief was feared from the French. All at once an ominous 
cloud that had been hanging along the eastern end of Long Island took 
shape. The counties of Suffolk and Queens displaced their civil and 
military officers and chose others. Presently the Long Island militia 
began to clamor for their pay. Some ill-affected and restless men among 
them came to the city on foot in squads, and hanging round the fort 
discoursed largely upon individual freedom, and said Nicholson was pre- 
paring to betray New York into the hands of some foreign pow T er. They 
picked up whatever gossip was afloat and told it, with additions, at every 
farm-house on their way home. 

Every day developed some new source of alarm. The officers felt 
themselves surrounded by stealthy foes. And the common people were 
growing into the belief that their superiors were full of fiendish plans 



WILD RUMORS. 347 

and purposes. Rumors when once started swelled into marvelous pro- 
portions as they passed from mouth to mouth. Some said that Staten 
Island was full of roaming papists. Others declared that Nicholson had 
been seen to cross the bay in a small boat to hold " cabals " with them ; 
and that King James was soon to land on the Jersey beach with an army 
of French. A few of the Long Island militia actually took up arms and 
came within fourteen miles of the city, ostensibly to be near at hand in 
case of an attack, but as was supposed by the men in power, to watch 
their opportunity for seizing the fort and plundering the town. 

It was clear that there were vague ideas being nurtured about a dawn- 
ing millennium when the popular element should shoot miraculously to 
the top round of the governing ladder, and aristocracy come to earth and 
henceforth wield the plow and the hammer. The stupidity on that sub- 
ject which prevailed among the humbler classes was by no means remark- 
able. The era of general intelligence, of printing-presses, newspapers, 
books, and schools, had not yet arrived to bless America. The condition 
of laborers was in no wise above the serfs in foreign countries. The}" were 
easily swayed and at the mercy of ignorant midille-men who were scarcely 
wiser than themselves. And no influence was quite as potent as what 
stirred their superstitious fears. 

Many believed that the leading Dutch citizens were going over 
to popery. It was suddenly reported that Ex-Governor Dongan 
was the instigator of an infernal plot to destroy New York. It was true 
that he was fitting out an armed brigantine, but for quite a different 
object. On the evening of the 21st of May, some persons appeared 
before Colonel Bayard with a petition (unsigned) asking that the Roman 
Catholics in the city be disarmed. Their conduct indicated serious alarm. 
The next morning the subject and the petition were earnestly discussed 
in council. There were ridiculously few Catholics in either city 
or province. Among the soldiers there were not over twenty of 
that faith, " and they," said Colonel Bayard, " are old cripples." But it 
seemed best to gratify the people as far as possible, hence Mayor Van 
Cortlandt sent for the authors of the petition to come and sign their 
names. They refused, and at the same time demanded an answer in 
writing, or to have their petition returned. The mayor went to them and 
assured them that their wishes should be respected, but they received 
him ungraciously. Captains Leisler and Lodwyck were sent finally to 
return the petition and answer its writers verbally. 

Major Baxter, one of the counselors from Albany, and com- 

May 27. 

mander of the fort in that place, arrived in New York on the 27th, 

and requested of Nicholson and his council permission to withdraw from 



348 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the province, on account of the jealousies which had arisen concerning his 
religion. His judgment was approved, and he was permitted to retire. 
An ensign in New York was relieved from duty at the same time on 
account of his avowed Catholicity. The two men proceeded to Virginia. 

But the tide was rising. Grievances seemed to multiply. The merest 

trifles became momentous. Every act of Nicholson was magnified into 

something of diabolical intent. On the evening of May 30, it was 

May 30 . 

' the turn of Captain De Peyster's company to mount guard. Lieu- 
tenant Henry Cuyler ordered one of his men to stand as sentinel at the 
sally-port. The sergeant of the regular soldiers in garrison objected that 
the lieutenant-governor had given no such directions. Upon Nicholson's 
return late at night, the incident was reported, and Cuyler was summoned 
to attend him in his bedchamber. Irritated at the breach of military 
discipline, Nicholson asked, " Who is commander in this fort, you or I ? " 
Cuyler replied that he had acted under Captain De Peyster's orders. In 
a passion Nicholson exclaimed, " I would rather see the town on fire than 
be commanded by you " ; then, seeing a stalwart corporal who had accom- 
panied Cuyler as interpreter standing by the door with a drawn sword, he 
seized a pistol and ordered them both out of the room. 

Before sunrise the next morning the story was buzzed all over 
town with absurd exaggerations. It was reported and believed 
that Lieutenant-Governor Nicholson had threatened to burn New York. 
And it was said also that he was planning to massacre all the Dutch in- 
habitants who should attend church in the fort on the following Sabbath. 
The falsity of the rumor seemed to give it greater currency. No con- 
tradiction could satisfy the people. 

The lieutenant-governor went to the City Hall at the usual hour to 
meet his own and the Common Council, and Mayor Van Cortlandt sent 
for the militia captains. The latter appeared, all but Captain Leisler. 
Nicholson explained what had occurred the night before. But Cuyler 
maintained his version of the affair, and finally Nicholson in high temper 
dismissed him from the service for impertinence. Captain De Peyster 
sympathized with the disgraced officer and retired in anger. 

Presently drums began to beat. Workmen dropped their tools and im- 
plements of labor, and rushed along the streets, and women and servants 
ran from the houses with white scared faces. A panic spread through 
the town. Terror, and a dread of no one knew what, rendered the scene 
almost hideous. Captain Leisler's company mustered tuuraltuously before 
the door of his house, led by Sergeant Joost Stoll. The latter brandished 
his sword, and shouted, "We are sold, we are betrayed, we are going to be 
murdered ! " and then marched to the fort followed by the rabble. They 



REVOLUTION IB NEW YORK. 



341) 




were received and admitted by Lieutenant Cuyler ; and a few minutes 
later Captain Leisler appeared and assumed command. 

Colonel Bayard went at the request of the council at the City Hall to 
endeavor to bring the muti- 
neers to reason, and induce 
them to disperse ; but he 
was informed by Stoll in the 
most insulting manner, that 
they "disowned all authority 
of the government." He re- 
turned to announce that his 
commands were disregarded, 
and that most of the city 
militia were in rebellion. It 
was then determined to hold 
another session of the gov- 
ernor's and COmmOn COUncil Leisler's House in the Strand. 

during the evening. 

Captain Lodwyck's company was to mount guard that night, according 
to the previous arrangement of rotation in duty. A little before dark 
Leisler sent an aimed posse to demand from Nicholson the keys of the fort. 
The lieutenant-governor was at the house of Frederick Philipse, where he 
had gone to supper. He declined to comply, and repaired to the City 
Hall to advise with bis council bow to act in such " a confused business." 
An hour later, Captain Lodwyck appeared at the head of his company, 
and entering the council-chamber claimed the keys. There seemed but 
one course to pursue. The military bad turned against the government, 
and the government was powerless. Bloodshed must be avoided if possi- 
ble, and perhaps by yielding gracefully the people might lie brought to 
their senses and their former obedience. The keys were accordingly sur- 
rendered. 

Nicholson was a good soldier, but hampered in all his movements by 
English customs and forms. He was not blessed with a directing mind, 
and could act only under instructions. His counselors were in the same 
predicament. Instructions had, indeed, been sent to their imprisonei 1 gi n - 
ernor-in-chief at Boston, which had they reached New York would have 
saved the province from a series of disasters. 

Meanwhile the militia captains were sadly perplexed. Some of them 
were afraid of the results of the outbreak, and regarded it as unnecessary 
and ill-timed. Captain Minvielle, Captain De Peyster, and Captain De 
Bruvn spent the greater part of the evening at the coimcil-chainl«r in 



350 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

warm discussion with the officers of the government, who were their 
neighbors and friends. Leisler was at the fort, descanting largely upon 
liberty. He denounced popery and kings. He enlarged upon the uni- 
form misrule by which James had brought matters to this crisis. He 
proclaimed his loyalty to the new Protestant sovereigns. He pictured 
the danger which threatened the city as imminent. Nicholson was a 
traitor. He had accomplices about him, and there was no question but 
that Sunday would be a veritable St. Bartholomew's day. 

The captains came together late in the evening, and after much hesi- 
tation ou the part of the majority, finally agreed to govern alternately 
until orders came from England. Leisler drafted a " Declaration," stating 
how New York was threatened by Nicholson, and promising to hold and 
guard the fort until the proper person should arrive to take command. This 
paper the captains signed upon a drum. 1 

The next morning there was a reaction in public feeling. The 
June1 ' captains were not satisfied with the course events were taking. 
They were shrewd, sensible men, and doubted the policy of the movement. 
After an excited consultation, in which opinions differed materially, Cap- 
tain De Peyster, Captain Stuyvesant, Captain Minvielle, and Captain De 
Bruyn visited Colonel Bayard, and requested him to take sole command 
in opposition to the lieutenant-governor. Bayard declined. "Gentlemen, 
there is no occasion for a revolution," he said. Nicholson was honest and 
trustworthy. A little patience, and orders would come to establish every- 
thing upon a proper basis. During the forenoon Philipse, Van Cortlandt, 
and Bayard mixed freely with the people, and tried to quiet their appre- 
hensions respecting Nicholson. At one time it seemed as if they would 
succeed in restoring order and authority. But counter influences were at 
work. There were men who blazed forth in coarse invectives, and ac- 
cused the counselors themselves of complicity in the traitorous designs of 
Nnholson. Leisler said they were all "a pack of rogues and papists," 
and were contriving together to hold the government for King James. It 
was a black Saturday for New York. 

On Sunday it was Leisler's turn to mount guard, and he had 
' matters pretty much in his own hands. He had wrought himself 
into a frenzy of political foresight, and probably believed his own proph- 
ecies. New York was to have a Dutch sovereign, who would favor his 
own people by permitting them to govern themselves. He was diffuse 
upon the subject of self-government. Down with aristocracy, down with 
tyranny and oppression. Let the people henceforth dictate. And the 

1 This " Declaration " was printed several weeks afterward by Samuel Green of Boston. In 
some of the reports it has been confounded with a second paper signed on the 3d of June. 



A BLACK SATURDAY. 351 

people naturally enough shouted their applause. He went on and ex- 
plained the nature of the conflict between church and state, — thai is, 
according to his understanding of it, — and again the people applauded. 
He warned them against the "dogs and traitors" who were only waiting 
for the opportunity to commence a horrid massacre. 

Many a wistful eye through that long and weary day watched with 
cruel expectation for indications of a death-storm. And the common 
soldiers boastfully declared that the town would have been running rivers 
of blood but for Mr. Leisler. He notified all the men belonging 
to the militia companies to come on Monday morning to the 
fort at a certain signal which would be given, and to obey no officer who 
should attempt to hinder them. The signal was to be the firing of guns. 
The maneuver was facilitated by the arrival of a ship from Barbadoes. 
A rumor spread that four or five French ships were inside of Sandy 
Hook. The soldiers ran in great disorder to the parade-ground in front 
of the fort. Captain Lodwyck hurried to the house of Philipse, where 
Nicholson, Van Cortlandt, and Bayard were assembled, and in behalf of 
Captains De Peyster, Stuyvesant, Minvielle, and De Bruyn, desired 
Bayard to take command as formerly, for without his orders each of the 
above-named captains had refused to appear in arms. Colonel Bayard 
replied that his orders had been so repeatedly disobeyed by both officers 
ami men, and the government being powerless to sustain his commission 
while the fort was detained, he hardly thought it worth while for him to 
appear only as a private soldier. But an enemy Mas supposed to lie 
approaching, and the lives and property of the citizens were at stake; 
the captains had positively refused to act without his commands ; hence 
the lieutenant-governor and council gave order that he should proceed 
according to his commission as colonel of the regiment to give suitable 
orders in the emergency. In a few minutes he was on the ground. The 
captains met him with respectful deference ; but the men were rude and 
unmanageal tie. 

The falsity of the alarm was quickly discovered, and the troops ordered 
to disperse. Instead of obeying the colonel or their captains, they 
crowded in a noisy and disorderly manner towards the fort, shouting, 
"To ( 'aitaix Lt.isi.ee, to Captain Leisi.ee," and threatened all those 
who tried to restrain them. They pressed inside the gate, and, seeing 
the discomfited captains halting in their rear, they wildly swore ven- 
geance upon them unless they came in also. "We will pull down your 
houses over your heads," and "You are vile traitorous papists like Ni< h- 
olson and his dogs," rang upon the air. Prudence seemed the betteT 
part of valor, and the unwilling officers yielded to the popular clamor. 



352 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Leisler had remained within the fort, and was ready with a document 
similar to the one prepared on Friday, which he read aloud as soon as he 
could obtain a heariug. It was received with riotous demonstrations of 
approval. Signers were called for, and over four hundred men put their 
names, or their marks to it, for a large proportion of them could neither 
read nor write. It was signed also by the captains and subordinate 
officers. 

Colonel Bayard retired from the scene as soon as he saw that he could 
be of no use in stemming the rebellion. In the "west room " of Philipse's 
city mansion Nicholson and his three counselors remained all day; with- 
out soldiers and without fort, they were indeed but the figure-head of a 
disabled government. In the afternoon the master of the ship from Bar- 
badoes landed, but Leisler took care to have him conducted directly to 
the fort, where his papers were examined. The mayor and aldermen of 
the city learned through a passenger that William and Mary had been 
proclaimed at Barbadoes. They even saw a copy of the London Gazette 
which contained the order for continuing all Protestants in office in Eng- 
land. The hope was thus created that relief would shortly arrive in the 
shape of direct instructions. 

But Sir William Phipps had clogged the way. He was so zealous for 
the establishment of a commonwealth in Massachusetts that he prevented 
the transmission of William's order continuing all persons in office in the 
colonies. When he himself arrived in Boston, his first act was to advise 
the Puritans to bend to circumstances, and proclaim William and Mary 
without delay. The General Court convened and voted an address to 
the new sovereigns, which contained happily expressed felicitations, and 
a i naver for the restoration of the old Massachusetts charter with new 
privileges. Dr. Mather stood guard over the interests of Massachusetts 
in England, and so explained the proceeding against Andros, that 
William was half convinced of its justice. At least, he was too nearly 
overwhelmed with the complicated affairs of his new government to 
enter into any special investigation of its remote branches while there 
was an outward show of peace. He therefore directed that the govern- 
ment which the Bostonians had established for themselves should be 
continued until further notice. 

The next occurrence of any note in New York was the arrival of Philip 

French, who had been in England on private mercantile business 

and had returned in the same vessel with Sir William Phipps. 

As soon as it was rumored that he was on the way from Boston, overland, 

Leisler placed sentinels and armed men some distance out of town to 

watch for him and conduct him to the fort. He was the bearer of letters 



THE DISABLED GOVERNMENT. 353 

to different persons, which were all opened, and such as were addressed to 
the lieutenant-governor and counselors were read aloud to the soldiers. 
French was able to give an intelligent account of what had transpired in 
England, but he had no idea where the orders for New York had gone to, 
if there had been any, which every one believed. The next day a vessel 
entered the bay from Boston, and Leisler, on the alert, received the cap- 
tain with military parade and took his papers. Two letters addressed to 
Mayor Van Cortlandt were first opened and read aloud in the fort, and 
then forwarded to him. The act was regarded as an outrage, and the 
indignation of the helpless officers of the government was beyond expres- 
sion Nicholson thought it wise to go to England and render a personal 
account of the condition of affairs, and this course was warmly approved 
by his associates. 

Leisler wrote letters to the leading men in Boston and in Hartford. 
In one addressed to Major Nathan Gold, under date of June 7, 
he said he wanted to have " one trusted man sent to England to rme 
procure some privileges " ; and, assuming to speak for New York, he 
added, " I wish we may have part in your charter, being, as I understand, 
in the latitude." This last passage is a revelation of ignorance which 
shows that he was acting independent of advice at that time; for among 
the captains were men of education and intelligence, who might have told 
him better if he had not been too self-sufficient to ignore the necessity of 
counsel. He penned an address to William and Mary, for the " Militia 
and Inhabitants of New York," giving a tedious and long-drawn-out 
narrative of recent events, and promising entire submission to their 
pleasure. It was signed by all those who had signed the previous docu- 
ment, with the exception of Captain Minvielle, who was sick of the "hot- 
headed proceedings," and declined to act any further with the revolu- 
tionists. He went to Nicholson and solicited and obtained his discharge 
from the military service. 

The address was sent to some Dutch merchants in London, who 

June 10. 

were requested to deliver it to the king, and add if possible " a 
seasonable word." The captain of the vessel who was to convey it across 
the water refused passage to Nicholson, and also to Bev. Mr. Innis, the 
Episcopal clergyman who was in haste to reach London with complaints. 
Nicholson went directly to Staten Island, and boughl a share in Dongan's 
brigantine, and after much vexatious delay set sail on his voyage. He 
deputed Bhilipse, Van Cortlandt, and Bayard with the charge of New 
York affairs during his absence. The three gentlemen were each person- 
ally known to many of the prominent English statesmen, and their im- 
portance in the colony had been the steady growth of years. But now. 



354 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

since aspersions had been cast upon their loyalty, it was esteemed best 
to counteract its effects as far as possible. Hence they wrote a letter to 
Secretary Shrewsbury, giving a detailed description of the overthrow of 

the government. To this letter was attached several confirmatory docu- 
ments. One was a Latin certificate from Dominie Selyns, signed by the 
consistory of the Reformed Dutch Church, in which the three gentlemen 
were declared to be " pious, candid, and modest Protestant Christians, fill- 
ing the offices of deacons and elders with consummate praise and appro- 
bation." Eev. Mr. Innis provided himself with written evidence from 
the Dutch and French clergymen, that he was a sincere and conscientious 
Protestant churchman. 

Nicholson's departure gave Leisler unexpected advantage. He became 
stern and patronizing, magnified his questionable appropriation of author- 
ity into a noble patriotism, compared himself to Cromwell, and declared 
that the " sword must now rule in New York." He used lofty expres- 
sions in ordinary conversation, and put labored paragraphs into his letters, 
but he spelt like a washerwoman. He changed the name of the fort from 
James to William, and called a convention for the 26th of June to organ- 
ize a "Committee of Safety," in imitation of Boston. He never fully 
understood the principles which underlay the movement in Boston, and 
had little or no conception of the singular tact and address which guided 
her through her perils. He was blindly infatuated with the new and 
novel idea of his own greatness, which had burst upon him like a meteor. 
Everything for the moment wore a silvery tinge. He commended his 
fellow captains for their dutiful deference to him. But erelong the ablest 
of them proved less tractable than he had anticipated ; while attempting 
to remove from office the Eoman Catholic Collector, Plowman, he was 
met so squarely in opposition by Captain De Peyster and Captain Stuy- 
vesant, who would have nothing to do with violence under any circum- 
stances, that he was obliged to desist. 

William and Mary were proclaimed at Hartford on the 13th. 

Shortly after, Major Gold and Captain Fitch set out for New York 
on horseback, with a copy of the printed proclamation and letters of 
advice and encouragement to Leisler. The news that they were on the 
way preceded them. The mayor and aldermen of the city had remained 
passive during the confusion, but it was agreed that they should meet 
the Hartford gentlemen, if possible, before their interview with Leisler. 
Therefore Mayor Van Cortlandt, accompanied by Colonel Bayard and 
several of the aldermen, rode out into Westchester, hoping to encounter 

them on the road, and finally stopped to dine at the house of 

June 20. ii 

Colonel Lewis Morris. Thev discovered there that thev had been 



DRINKING THE NEW KING'S HEALTH. 355 

followed the whole distance by Leisler's son and Sergeant Stoll They 
did not meet the travelers either, who entered the city by another route 
and held an interview with Leisler that same evening at the fort. 

The next morning Mayor Van Cortlandt called upon Messrs. Gold and 
Fitch, and asked for the proclamation, in order that the city might 
do suitable honor to the new sovereigns. But it was already in 
the hands of Leisler. The following morning it was read to the soldiers 
in the fort. A little later, Mayor Van Cortlandt was visited at 
his residence by Leisler, Gold, and Fitch, accompanied by a file 
df halberdiers. Leisler accused him of shirking his duty, and ordered 
that William ami Mary he proclaimed from the City Hall. Van Cort- 
landt replied with some asperity, that it was well known that he had 
made great efforts to obtain the proclamation for that very purpose, but 
now, as Leisler had taken it upon himself to read it in the fort, he might 
read it where else he pleased. Leisler flew into a rage and accused Van 
Cortlandt of siding with the Catholics and King James. Hot words fol- 
lowed. In the end Van Cortlandt expressed his willingness to summon 
the aldermen, and give notice to the citizens, if he could have an hour's 
grace. 

When they bad assembled at the City Hall, Leisler arrogantly ordered 
Van Cortlandt to read the proclamation. The latter was exasperated by 
the tone of command from a man who, although his senior by many years, 
was not his superior, and replied that the person who had read it in the 
fort in the morning should be called upon again, as be bad no clerk. 
Leisler retorted, denouncing the mayor's conduct in strong language and 
calling him a " papist." The crowd, not understanding the drift of the 
dispute, became excited, and called out, "Seize the traitor!" and "Down 
with popery!" Van Cortlandt stepped forward and explained that he 
was not hindering the reading. Quiet was at last restored, and the proc- 
lamation was read by one of the captains. 

The Hartford envoys listened to the stories of "hellish designs" until 
they said their "flesh trembled." They imbibed the popular belief that 
New York was full of "papists," who might at any moment rise and 
butcher peaceful Protestants. They congratulated Leisler upon his cour- 
age and invincible loyalty. As the people dispersed from about the ( 'it y 
Hall, Colonel Bayard invited the mayor and aldermen to go with him 
to his house and drink the new king's health. The invitation was 
accepted. While going through the ceremony with great enthusiasm, a. 
messenger came from Messrs. Gold and Fitch, asking them to join Cap- 
tain Leisler and his officers in the fort and drink the new king's health. 
In order to let the people see that they were not lukewarm subjects of 



356 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

a new dynasty, they consented. The mob, however, gathered about them 
in a riotous manner, and were disposed to do them mischief. Alderman 
Crundall was violently ejected from the fort and seriously injured. The 
sheriff was pounded and kicked, and had his sword taken from him. 
Colonel William Smith was called a " devil and a rogue," and escaped 
rough usage by running. Philip French was struck on the side of his 
head with a musket and stunned. Van Cortlandt attempted to pass out, 
and was met with abuse on all sides, while a deafening shout rent the 
air of " We don't want you here." 

A fire was discovered in the evening in the turret of the church in the 
fort, under which the powder was stored ; it was supposed by many to 
be the work of the " papists," a demoniacal design to destroy the tort and 
the town. 

Two days later Mayor Van Cortlandt obtained a copy of the royal 
proclamation which confirmed Protestant officers in their places 
' in the colonies, and which had been, so disastrously for New York, 
detained in Boston. He convened the aldermen and the citizens at once, 
and published it in the same manner as William and Mary had been 
proclaimed on the 22d. Thus was established beyond question the 
authority of Philipse, Van Cortlandt, and Bayard, who held their com- 
missions from the crown. 

Leisler was furious over the occurrence. He charged " Jacobitism " 
upon every one who would not join his standard. He called the three 
counselors "popishly affected, lying dogs." He saw undoubtedly that 
he was in danger of losing his position unless he labored vigorously to 
sustain it. 

The next morning Van Cortlandt convened the counselors 

June 25 

' and the Common Council of the city at his house, and conferred 
long and earnestly. They thought it best to remove Collector Plowman, 
"for the peace of the restless community," ami appointed commissioners 
to take his place until a successor should arrive from England. Colonel 
Bayard, Thomas Wenham, John Haines, and Paulus Piichards were chosen, 
took the customary oaths and the keys, and entered upon their duties. 

In less than half an hour there was an uproar. They had only had 
time to change the " J " in the king's arms to a " W." Leisler came upon 
them with a company of soldiers, and ordered them out of the building. 
The resolutions of the mayor and councd were pasted over the door. 
Leisler read these with contempt. Colonel Bayard attempted to argue 
the position, but was met with the old charge, " You are all rogues, trai- 
tors, and devils." The soldiers jerked Wenham into the street by the 
neckcloth, and battered and bruised him until some bystanders remon- 



ALMOST A COLONIAL REVOLUTION. 



357 



strated to save his life, and were in turn assaulted and nearly murdered. 
Bayard was cut at fiercely, but the crowd was so thick that only his hat 
Mas injured. He succeeded in escaping into the house of Peter De 
Lanoy, which was immediately surrounded and in danger of being pulled 
down. Bayard made his further escape after a time. But the startling 
cry was raised, and spread from one end of the town to the other, that 
"the rogues had sixty men ready to kill Captain Leisler." 

The next day Mrs. De Peyster, the mother of Captain De Peys- 
ter, and Mrs. Van Brugh went to Mrs. Bayard, and told her that 
her husband was in hourly peril of assassination, and advised that he 
should leave the city for a time. He was similarly counseled by some of 
the aldermen, who were 
amazed at the fury with 
which he was pursued. 
Assisted by his friends, 
who provided horses for 
him some miles above 
Philipse manor, he, at- 
tended by two negro 
slaves, managed to es- 
cape to Albany, where 
he was hospitably re- 
ceived and entertained 
by Mayor Peter Schuy- 
ler and Robert Livings- 
ton 

Leisler appointed Pe- 
ter De Lanoy collector 
of the customs, having 
successfully routed the 
commissioners. Then 
the Convention which he 
had summoned came to- 
gether. The excitements 
of the last few days had convinced half the town thai the other half were 
concealing daggers and about to rise and sustain the Roman Catholics. 
To deny the charge was almost equivalent to a confession of guilt. Many 
of the delegates were men who were struggling with imperfect ideas of a 
democratic goverment, and openly promulgated the sentiment that "there 
had been no legal king in England since Oliver Cromwell." Two of the 
delegates seeing the tendency of the Convention to make Leisler com- 




Portrait of Hon. Peter Schuyler. 
(From the original painting in the possession of the family.) 



358 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

mander-in-cliief, withdrew after the first session. The remaining ten 
formed themselves into a "Committee of Safety." Their names were, 
Richard Denton, Teunis Eoelofse, Jean De Marest, Daniel De Klercke, 
Thomas Verrnilye, Samuel Edsall, Matthias Harvey, Peter De Lanoy, 
Thomas Williams, and William Lawrence. 

They appointed Abraham Gouverneur clerk of the committee. 
' He was a young man of nineteen, the son of the French Huguenot, 
Nicholas Gouverneur. He had a remarkable education for one of his 
years. He could read, write, and speak readily the three languages chiefly 
spoken in New York, and kept the records with great clearness and pre- 
cision. 

The first business of the Committee of Safety was to appoint Leisler 
"Captain of the fort." He was to open all letters and examine all 
' strangers that came into the city. Every person suspected of 
popery was to be arrested and thrown into prison. 

Six weeks afterward these ten men, assuming to represent a few of the 
towns near the metropolis, issued a second commission appointing Leisler 
commander-in-chief of the province. It was illegal, and served to illus- 
trate the errors into which men will fall who are unaccustomed to rule. 
Had the authority of such a commission been resolutely questioned it 
would have tumbled into dust. Leisler argued the necessity of the 
measure as a prevention against anarchy. He must have more power. 
Should the French attack the province, or the "Jacobites" rise to carry 
the colony by storm, the want of harmony in Albany and elsewhere 
would prove fatal to all concerned. So the Committee of Safety gave 
him what they did not possess, and he tightened his reins and became 
more arbitrary than ever. 
Meanwhile the time for the regular holding of the mayor's court was 
approaching, and Leisler determined to put a stop to it. He sent 
a message the evening before to Paulus Eichards to the effect that 
if the mayor undertook to hold court, "the people would haul the magis- 
trates by the legs from the City Hall and he would not hinder them." 
The morning came, and Mayor Van Cortlandt sent John Lawrence, 
Francis Eombouts, William Merritt, and Thomas Crundall to the fort to 
consult Leisler in regard to his intentions. But he only repeated the 
threat. The aldermen did not care to run the risk of encountering a 
mob while they had no means of defense, so the mayor's court was ad- 
journed for four weeks, presuming that by that time relief in some tangi- 
ble shape would have arrived from England. 



NEW YORK UNDER LEISLER. 359 



CHAPTER XX. 

1689 - 1691. 
NEW YORK UNDER LEISLER. 

New York under Leisler. — The Elections of 16S:». —Mrs. Van Chrtlandt's Cour- 
age. — Leisler's Executive Ability. — Albany in Peril. — Independence of 
Albany. — Mayor Peter Schuyler. — Milborne's Defeat. — Connei ro i i co nii; 
Rescue. — Colonel Nicholas Bayard. — Captain Lodwyck in Disgrace. — Cap- 
iain De Peyster in Disgrace. — The Plough Search for Colonel Bayard. — Wil- 
liam III. of England. — The Tangle in New York. — The King's Letter to 
Nicholson. — New York threatened by the French. — Leisler's Ageni \i 
Whitehall. — Matthew Clarkson. — The King's Letter seized by Leisler. — 
Leisler's Assumption. — An Outburst of Rage. — Philip French in a Dungeon. 

— The Jails and Prisons filled. — Arrest of Colonel Bayard. — Arrest of 
William Nicolls. — Pursuit of Kobert Livingston. — The French on the War- 
Path. — Burning of Schenectady. — Shocking Massacre. — Albany appalled. — 
Albany - submits to Leisler. — The First Colonial Congress in America. — Leis- 
ler's Vigor. — Wholesale Complaints. —Connecticut's Rebuke. — Despotic Laws. 
New Rochelle. — Wedding of Leisler's Daughter. — Advice from Boston. — 
The Government of New York as ordained by William III. — Arrival of 
Lieutenant-Governor Ingoldsby. — The City in Tumult. — Leisler aggressive. 

— Bloodshed in New York. — Governor Slaughter's Arrival. — Leisler impris- 
oned. — The Sunday Sermon. — The Trial of Leisler and his Council. — Leis- 
ler AND MlLBORNE UNDER SENTENCE OF DEATH. — THE ASSEMBLY - OF 1691. — Dr. 

Gerardus Beekman. — Slaughter's Character. — Signing of the Death-War- 
rant. — The Execution of Leisler and Milborne. — Impressive Scenes. — Ef- 
fects of Leisler's Death. — The French and Indian War. — Death of Slaugh- 
ter. — Ingoldsby Commander-in-Chief. — Etienne De Lancey. 



1689. 



THE summer passed away in tolerable quiet. The city of 
New York was under a military despotism. Leisler counted 
all as "Papists " who woidd not recognize his authority. As none of the 
city magistrates woidd administer the oaths of allegiance in the fort, he 
sent for Dr. Gerardus Beekman, a Long Island justice, to perform that 
service. On one occasion four Cambridge students came into the city 
with Perry, the postman, and on suspicion of papacy were arrested and 
their letters seized and examined. Even the drums beat an alarm and 
four hundred soldiers appeared. But the modest travelers were found to 



360 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 




be honest men, and were set at liberty. Several prominent citizens were 
arrested without warrant, and there was no time when many persons 
were not lying in prison for disaffection to the new government. 

In August Jacob Milborne returned from Holland, where he 

Aug. 25. ° 

had been staying for some months. His elder brother, William 
rasyEa^ Milborne, was an Ana- 

baptist minister who had 
taken an active part in 
the overthrow of the gov- 
ernment of Andros. He 
himself declared that the 
English Revolution justi- 
fied all that had been 
done in New York. He 
became an arm of strength 
to his old friend with 
whom he had formerly 
been associated in com- 
mercial ventures. He 
took up his abode in 
Leisler's family. He was 
by no means a genial 
companion; his disposition had been soured by early misfortunes, and his 
mind was one^ great uncultivated field of reformatory ideas. But his 
English education and his indomitable pluck were invaluable. Leisler's 
letters henceforth appeared in better dress, and were less subject to criti- 
cism. Ensign Stoll was sent to convey a document to Whitehall which 
was full of loyal asseverations. Leisler explained how in June he had 
been made captain of the fort, but omitted to mention his last absurd 
commission. 

As the customary time for elections approached, Leisler ordered the 
towns and counties to proceed to choose new officers for the coming year. 
The charter of New York required that the mayor and sheriff of the city 
should be appointed annually by the governor and council, and the clerk 
by the governor, and that they should remain in office until others should 
be duly appointed in their places. The charter also ordained the Catho- 
lic feast of Michaelmas as the time to elect its aldermen. On that 
day the voting went on in the different wards, but the Leisler fac- 
tion were alone in the field ; their opponents denied the legality of the 
whole proceeding. Eobert Walters, the son-in-law of Leisler, was returned 
as one of the aldermen. 



Portrait of Dr. Gerardus Beekman. 
(From an original painting in possession of the family.) 



Sept. 20. 



MES. VAN CORTLAXDT'S COURAGE. 361 

Leisler was perplexed as to how to manage about the mayor and guber- 
natorial appointments. He finally summoned the Protestant freeholders 
of the city together to elect them. A few only were present, and the 
majority of votes were for Peter De Lanoy. This was the first election 
of a mayor by the city, or what was supposed to represent the city, of 
New York. 1 Johannes Johnson was returned as sheriff, and Abraham 
Gouverneur as clerk. Leisler issued a proclamation on the birthday of 
James II., as the charter dictated, confirming the election. Thus 

Oct. 14. 

with characteristic inconsistency he violated one most essential 

point in the charter, and rigidly observed two others touching upon noted 

Catholic days. 

A constable was sent to the house of Mayor Van Cortlandt to obtain 
the city charter, seals, records, etc., — for what were city officials without 
municipal paraphernalia! Van Cortlandt was not at home. A commit- 
tee was then appointed to wait upon Mrs. Van Cortlandt and demand 
them of her. She was a sister of Mayor Peter Schuyler of Albany, 
a tall, grandly proportioned woman, with a touch of imperialism 
about her, as if born to command. She received the committee politely, 
but declined to give up anything which had been left in her care by her 
husband. A sergeant-at-arms next visited her, but when she learned his 
errand she coolly shut the door in his face and defied his blustering 
threats. An effort was then made to find and imprison Van Cortlandt, 
but without success. 

The French were already overshadowing the northern horizon and pic- 
paring to take advantage of the disturbances in the colonial government. 
Leisler acted promptly, used the public funds to put the fort in repair, 
and placed a double number of men at work upon the city fortifications. 
A new semicircular battery, for some time known as "Leisler's Half 
Moon," was built upon a fiat rock west of the fort, and supplies of powder 
were obtained from Philadelphia. 

Albany was seriously threatened, and a convention was called. It was 
presided over by Mayor Schuyler; and by his side, acting as sec- 
retary, sat his brother-in-law, Piobert Livingston, who was also the 
brother-in-law of Mayor Van Cortlandt. The city recorder, Dirck Wes- 

sells, and Aldermen Wendall, LI (ker, Van Schaick, and other of the 

chief men were Hollanders, all Protestants, and members of tin* Reformed 
Dutch Church, of which Dominies Schaats and Dellius were the pastors. 
These magistrates had, as soon as they received a. copy of the proc- 
lamation from New York, formed the citizens into a procession 

1 Cornelius W. Lawrence was the first citizen elected mayor by the people of New Yi irk, 
in 1834. 



362 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

and inarched to the fort, and there, in the most dignified and solemn man- 
ner, proclaimed William and Mary, fired guns, and indulged in all other 
suitable demonstrations. They repeated the ceremony at the City Hall, 
rang the bells, and had bonfires and fire-works in the evening. They 
esteemed themselves in no wise subordinate to Leisler, but were deter- 
mined to maintain their civil government until orders came from Eng- 
land. 

But Albany, with her two bttle streets crossing each other at right 
angles, was the center of the great internal traffic of the province with 
the natives, and consequently second only in importance to the metropo- 
bs. It was desirable that every effort should be made to keep the Iro- 
quois friendly, and no one understood the tactics required for that pur- 
pose better than Schuyler and Livingston. These warriors were in a 
deadly quarrel with the French, and the near Mohawks had asked assist- 
ance of men and horses to draw logs to fortify their castles, which was 
granted. 

Several outside tribes bad gone over to the French, and bad recently 
fallen upon and destroyed Dover in New Hampshire, and Pemaquid in 
Maine. Albany might be attacked at any moment, and the " Conven- 
tion " ordered that every gentleman present should bring a gun with 
half a pound of powder and ball equivalent, to be hung up in the 
church, and that the traders and other inhabitants should be persuaded 
to do the same, until the number of fifty was reached, these arms to be 
used in case of emergency. As some of the citizens were preparing to 
leave Albany, the Convention ordered, that, " as it was setting a bad 
example for the timorous and cowardly to run away, no able-bod- 
ied inhabitant should leave the county for the next three months, 
without a pass from the justice of the peace." After much hesitation a 
messenger was sent to ask Leisler for help. He forwarded four cannon 
and a small supply of powder and ball, at the same time commanding 
that commissioners be sent to him at once to consult for the pub- 

Sept. 4. 1 

lie good. He addressed his letter to Captains Wendall and 
Bleecker, instead of the Convention, saying to the messenger that he 
had nothing to do with the civil power; he was a soldier, and would 
write to a soldier. 

The Convention paid no further heed to him, but raised what money 
they could among themselves, and appealed to New England for aid. 
The latter sent delegates to enlist the Iroquois against the Eastern sav- 
ages. The chiefs of the Iroquois were summoned to Albany, but declined 
to attack tribes who had done them no harm. The next day, at a private 
conference, the same sachems assured the Albany gentlemen that if the 



ALBANY IN PERIL. 363 

French came to harm them, they would fight for them, and live or die 
with them. 1 

On the day appointed in her charter Albany proceeded to install her 
municipal officers, and in order to silence the misrepresentations 
of those who persisted in calling the Albanians "Jacobites," the 
civic and military officers, the citizens, and the soldiers in the fort, took 
oaths of fidelity to the new king and queen. 

Thus there were two rival governments within the province of New 
York, and one was as rightful as the other. But the independent attitude 
of Albany galled Leisler. He shortly prepared a force of fifty-one men 
to proceed under the command of Milborne and take possession of the 
Albany fort. The Convention, learning what was in progress, sent 
Alderman Van Schaick to New York to tell Leisler that they 
would willingly accept reinforcements provided they came in an obedient 
spirit, but that no New York officer would be admitted to the command of 
the fi at. Considering himself commander-in-chief of the province, Leisler 
determined to make his power felt, and dispatched three sloops full of 
armed men and ammunition up the river. 

Van Schaick reached Albany before them, and reported how Leisler 
was bent upon "turning the government of their city upside 
down." The Convention summoned the citizens together, and 
a declaration was signed to the effect that they would not permit "them 
of New York or any person else, to rule over Albany, of which 
the Convention was the only present lawful authority." In 
order "to prevent jealousies and animosities," Mayor Teter Schuyler, 
who was a. favorite with all parties and specially loved by the Indians, 
was appointed to the chief command of the fort. The principal men of 
Albany led him up the steep hill to the little fortress with great pomp 
and ceremony, and he was received bv the garrison with cheers 

j , Nov. 8 

and huzzas. 

The next morning the sloops from New York anchored a little below 
the city. Milborne sent a messenger to demand admission to the fort, 
and was promptly refused. Presently he made his appearance at the 
City Hall, where a crowd gathered, whom he harangued for some time, 
saying that all that had been done in the reign of James II. was illegal, 

1 Doc. Hist., II. 19, 20, 50-55, SS. Munsell, II. 108. Smith, I. 99, 100. Dunlap, 1. 
158. Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., XXXV. 212, 217, 218. Brodhead, II. 583, 584, 585. Colden, 
I. 106-111. Plymouth Records, VI. 21:!. Col. Doe., III. 610-783; IV. 349; IX. 387, 
420-42."., 44", Otj-,. Charlevoix, II. 345, 115 419. Belknap, I 198 -206. /.« Potherie, III. 
248. Shea's Missions, 277-325. Garneazi, I. 305. Bell, I. 322. Williamson, I. 590-595. 
Millet's Letter of July 6, 1691, pp. 40-45. 



364 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

and that the charter of Albany was null and void. Milborne had for- 
merly lived in Albany, and not only knew the place well, but was well 
known by the people. He was answered briefly by Eecorder Wessells, 
who said, "We have no arbitrary power here." 

The following day Milborne appeared before the Convention. He 
produced his commission signed by Leisler and the Committee 
of .Safety. He was told that a commission granted by a company 
of private men in New York was of no force in Albany ; that when he 
would show a commission from King William, he might command obedi- 
ence. As he retired from the building he made a long speech from the 
steps to the people who had collected. He was interrupted constantly 
by shouts of " You want to raise mutiny and sedition," and " If things 
are carried on as you say, all authority will be overturned, and we shall 
run into confusion with the Indians." 

In the course of twenty-four hours Milborne succeeded in winning 
si line one hundred persons over to his interests, and they met and 
' chose Jochim Staats to command the soldiers from New York. 
The Convention refused to accept the soldiers from New York 
' as soon as they heard of it, unless they pledged themselves to 
come under the command of the Convention. On the 14th 
' Mayor Schuyler met the citizens at the City Hall, and explained 
why lie had accepted command of the fort, simply to defeat Leisler's 
design to create a general disturbance among the people by making an 
absolute change of government. His course was warmly approved. 
But Milborne was fully resolved to obtain the mastery. He assembled 
his complete force and marched valiantly up to the fort. He 
ov ' 15 ' halted with military precision and demanded possession. Schuyler 
ordered him away. Milborne attempted to force an entrance and was 
driven back. He ordered his men to load, and read to them a paper. 
Schuyler, upon one of the mounds of the fort, shouted a protest in behalf 
of the Convention, and directed Milborne and his troops to withdraw 
at once. A party of Mohawks upon the hill near by watched these ] in >- 
ceedings, and all at once charged their guns and sent a hurried messenger 
to Schuyler, to say that if the New York soldiers were hostile they should 
fire on them. Schuyler sent Eecorder Wessells and Dominie Dellius to 
pacify tlic savages, but the latter were thoroughly enraged and insisted 
upon the 1 lominie's going to Milborne with the same message which they 
had sent to Schuyler. Milborne was battled, for he had met an unex- 
pected foe. He dismissed his men and retired in humiliation. 

He had some allies in Albany, and before he returned to New 
ov. i6. Y or k a private contract was signed by a few men of means to 



COLOXEL NICHOLAS ISA YARD. 365 

support the soldiers whom be was to leave behind under command of 
Captain Slants. He stopped at Esopus on his trip down the Hudson, 
but the people bad been informed of bis defeat at Albany and he could 
do nothing with them. 

Ten days later eighty-seven soldiers reached All 'any, sent at the request 
of the Convention by Governor Treat of Connecticut. They 
were led by Captain Bull, the same who courageously prevented 
Andros from taking possession of Saybrook in 1775. The perils were so 
great that Lieutenant Enos Talmage of Captain Hull's company with 
twenty-fair men were sent to garrison Schenectady. Captain Staats, 
instead of assisting in the common defense with his Xew York soldiers, 
worked industriously to promote taction. The condition of affairs 
became so lamentable that the Convention appointed the 4th of 
December to lie observed as a day of tasting and prayer. 

Colonel Bayard in Albany, having been there since June, had been 
kept informed of all that transpired in Xew York, and was in constant 
expectation of royal instructions which would restore order. He learned 
in October that his only son, who had been lying dangerously ill for 
months, was in a dying condition, and he was very anxious to see him. 
He wrote to the justices of the peace in Xew York, asking personal 
protection from Leisler while visiting his family. He offered to give 
security in money, or to answer any complaints or accusations which 
could be brought against him and thereby satisfy the law. But the 
answer which he received was, " The sword rules, and we have no power 
in opposition to Leisler." 

He then wrote to Captain De Peyster and Captain De Bruyn. with 

directions that the contents of his letter should lie communicated 

i 0ct - 20 
to all the commissioned officers ; be ordered them " to bear good 

faith aud allegiance " to William and Mary, to be obedient to the civil 




Autograph of Nicholas Bayard. 



authority of the city, and to desist from aiding or abetting the illegal 
proceedings of Leisler and his associates. As a commissioned colonel 
of the regiment, as well as one of the counselors of the government, he 



ob'6 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

considered that he was thus honestly and fearlessly doing his duty. The 
results, however, were most disastrous. The captains put his communi- 
cation into the hands of Leisler, who flew into a terrible rage. He knew 
that Bayard, despite a little pomposity, stood high in the estimation of a 
Large class of the inhabitants of the province. He knew that he was a 
man (if orthodox religion and regular life, of ample fortune and high 
connections. He knew that he was a scholar, and notwithstanding his 
French and Dutch parentage, was an able expositor of the English law. 
He knew that his logic had already startled some of the captains as to 
the consequences of the revolt. He knew that Bayard was likely to he 
a continual thorn in his side. In short, he was afraid of him. The 
spirit of insurrection is always severe. Leisler determined to put his 
foot upon so dangerous a foe. Milborne added fuel to the fire by de- 
scribing the effects- of Bayard's influence in Albany. They feared he 
might overturn their whole structure. 

Leisler called a public meeting, at which he announced that Nicholson 
had never shown his face in England, but had turned " privateer " ; and 
that Bayard was " a traitor and a villain," and was coming upon New 
York with three hundred men to retake the fort for the late King James. 
As for Dongan, although he was living quietly on his farm near Hemp- 
stead, Leisler charged him with holding " cabals " at his house and at 
other places, preparatory to making an attempt on the fort. Captain 
Lodwyck denied this imputation upon Dongan, and was immediately 
dismissed bom the service, with the scathing charge of being a friend to 
" popery and James." 

Leisler called upon every man to take a new oath, which was, in sub- 
stance, to be true to William and Mary, obedient to the Committee of 
Safety, and to the commander-in-chief, of the province. Captain De 
Peyster was a man of strong practical sense, and, seeing the mischief 
which was likely to result from needlessly terrifying and exasperating 
the lower classes, warned Leisler to desist from such a course. The latter 
was in no mood to hear reproof, and angrily suspended him from office, 
appointing a more pliant captain in his stead. He thus lost one of the 
best men who had been among his adherents, and a counselor who might 
have saved him from destruction. 

Meanwhile Bayard had privately arrived at his own house. It was 
evening, but a soldier saw him and ran with the news to the fort. A 
dozen armed men were sent at once to arrest him. They went through 
his house in a rough and riotous manner, greatly adding to the distress of 
his already afflicted family, by swearing that they would " fetch him from 
the gates of hell." Not finding him, they proceeded to search Van Cort- 



WILLIAM III. OF ENGLAND. 367 

landt's house in the same brutal manner, and threatened Van Cortlandt 
himself so seriously that he was obliged to escape through the rear of his 
dwelling and hide himself in Connecticut and Albany for weeks. Mrs. 
Van Cortlandt and her children were grossly insulted, but she bravely 
maintained her ground, and after a while was left in peace. The house 
of Dominie Selyns was searched, and he was treated to the same coarsi 
and vulgar language. Sixteen of the chief families of the city were 
obliged to submit to a similar indignity. Never was the pursuit of a cul- 
prit conducted in a more indecent manner. Last of all. Captain Stuy- 
vesant was visited. He was an own blood cousin of Bayard, and the two 
had been intimate and confidential friends from boyhood. It had been 
reported recently that he had said that the stories about Bayard's being a 
Catfiolic were "a pack of lies." So perhaps he was concealing him. 
They invaded every mom in Ins house from cellar to garret, and then 
went through all his barns and outbuildings. They acted like men infu- 
riated, and many of them were intoxicated. The next day Captain Stuy- 
vesant resigned his commission and retired from any farther association 
with Leisler. He possessed too much of his father's spirit to lend him- 
self for the furtherance of dishonorable outrages. 

The question will very naturally arise. Why was all this confusion 
allowed to exist ? Why came no orders from England ' Why were nut 
men established in power to whom power properly belonged ? Why was 
William so oblivious to his own interests? 

There was a complication of reasons. The year which had elapsed 
since William took up the English scepter had been to him one of tor- 
turing anxiety and incessant toil. The enthusiasm which had welcomed 
him to the throne was as brief as it was apparently sincere. He had 
himself, at the very moment when his fame and fortune reached its high- 
est point, predicted the coming reaction. It is the nature, of mankind to 
overrate present evil and to underrate present good, to long- for what he 
has not and to be dissatisfied with what he has. Reaction is a law of 
nature as certain as the laws which regulate the succession of the seasons 
and the course of the trade-winds. Many of those who had at first taken 
up arms for William began to mutter among themselves before the end 
of two months, and not only found excuses for the maladministration of 
James, gross as it had been, hut revealed unmistakable signs of heartfell 
commiseration for his unhappy and exiled condition. They said he was 
their rightful and liege lord as the heir of a long line of princes, and had 
many of the qualities of an excellent sovereign. He was diligent, if he 
was dull. He was thrifty, with all his parsimony. He was brave, notwith- 
standing his weaknesses. He was even truthful when not under the 
fatal influence of his religion. 



368 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

William was alive to the possible consequences of this change in pub- 
lic opinion. The power of a less watchful, less cautious, less determined 
ruler would have been quickly undermined. He knew that he must act, 
there was no standing idle, and his acts were criticised by his Trivy 
Council, who were intriguing with each other. He wished to do justice 
to all parties, but justice would satisfy none of them. The Tories soon 
hated him for protecting the Dissenters. The Whigs hated him for pro- 
tecting the Tories. Members of his own household were in correspond- 
ence with James. Insincerity lurked everywhere. He stood as it were 
upon a volcanic crater, and was perfectly aware of his danger. Great 
events were following each other, also, in rapid succession, — war with 
Fiance, revolt in Ireland, anarchy in Scotland. What time had the 
worried monarch to think of his distant and less important Amefican 
cull uiies ? 

But there came a moment when he was brought to a painful 

July 4. fl 

sense of their condition. It was when the reports which had been 
sent in May from New York and Boston reached Whitehall. He discovered 
that he had been duped into committing a deplorable mistake through the 
tact of Dr. Mather and Sir William Phipps. He saw that Andros had 
been imprisoned because he had executed the orders of his lawful English 
sovereign. Such orders it was not William's policy to undervalue. But 
even then, with European affairs pressing heavily upon him, he hardly 
managed with characteristic prudence and foresight. He inclined 
towards pouring oil over rather than probing wounds. 

As for the tangle in New York, it had not yet burst in its full propor- 
tions upon the minds of either William or his ministers. Both parties 
having written to them in such a loyal strain, it was regarded as a mere 
internal dispute which a few royal words would quickly settle. They 
were accordingly penned to Nicholson 

The letter was addressed to " Our Lieutenant-Governor and Com- 
mander-in-Chief of our Province of New York in America, and in his 
absence, to such as for the time being take care for preserving the peace 
and administering the laws in our said Province of New York in Amer- 
ica." And Nicholson was ordered to take up the government of the 
province, call to his assistance the chief freeholders, and " do and per- 
form all the requirements of the office." John Biggs, who bore the letters 
from Nicholson and his council to the king, was intrusted with this im- 
portant document on his return to New York. Before he sailed, Nichol- 
son reached London. Supposing all communications addressed to him 
would be opened by the counselors Philipse, Van Cortlandt, and Bayard, 
no effort was made to have them altered, and as the vessel was under 
orders Biggs proceeded on his voyage. 



NEW YORK Til RE AT EX ED BY THE FRENCH. 369 

Xieholson proceeded to Whitehall and had a personal interview with 
the king. He related what had occurred in New York ; and a 
few hours later he repeated the same to the Plantation Com- 
mittee. It was quickly decided to send a governor to Xew York, and 
two days later William in council appointed Colonel Henry Sloughter 
to that office. Nicholson strove to obtain the post, but did not possess 
sufficient interest in court. He was, however, appointed lieutenant-gov- 
ernor of Virginia, which was an emphatic approval of his conduct in 
New York. 

There was no reason why Sloughter should not have gone at once to 
his government, only that the troubles in Ireland absorbed universal at- 
tention just then. The English navy too was in a wretched condition, 
and all the vessels in the kingdom were in demand as convoys for Wil- 
liam's army. Sloughter's commission and instructions did not pass the 
Great Seal until January 4, 1690. Meanwhile he had proposed that Xew 
York should include Connecticut, the Jerseys, and Pennsylvania. The 
suggestion was not favored by the king or council. Then he proposed to 
add Plymouth to New York, and Secretary Blathwayt actually included 
it in the draft of the commission. But Dr. Mather heard of it, and ap- 
peared in time to argue the question, and persuade the Lords that the 
addition of Plymouth would be more inconvenient than serviceable. 
Therefore it was stricken out. 

Meanwhile it was rumored that the French had a design upon Xew 
York, and if successful "would put to the torture " some two hundred 
Huguenot families who had settled in the province. Louis XIY. had 
actually instructed Count Frontenac to prepare an expedition without 
loss of time, and proceed both by land and by water against the little city 
on Manhattan Island; Albany was to be surprised, and the army were to 
"cut in below, to secure the vessels on the river"; the English settle- 
ments in the neighborhood of Manhattan Island were to be destroyed, 
and "all officers and principal inhabitants from whom ransoms could be 
exacted, detained in prison." Louis ordered that the French refugees 
who should be found in Xew York, particularly those of the pretended 
Reformed religion, should be shipped to Fiance. 1 

Prominent men in Xew York appealed to the king to send a large 
force to protect the "center of all the English plantations." Anxiety 
settled like a heavy cloud over the city. The Committee of Safety 
asked the Bishop of London to intercede with the king ami obtain au- 
thority for Leisler, in order to defend Xew York until Sloughter's arrival, 

1 .1/./,/,.//- of Instructions to Count Frontenac. J'^ns Doc, IV. Doc. Hist. New York, 
I. 295. 

18 



370 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

which it had been hinted might not occur until spring. But no such 
authority was given Leisler. 

Ensign Stoll reached London with the August dispatches of 

Leisler, in November. William referred them quietly to Secretary 
Shrewsbury. Stoll was loud and opinionated, aud elicited very little 

notice. His vapid talk wearied the courtiers. When he asked 

for a written approval of Leisler's acts, the question was evaded. 
He had the assurance to suggest a suspension of Sloughter's commission, 
which was treated with cool indifference. He made himself conspicuous 
in England only as a miserable failure, and he would have done Leisler 
far 1 letter service to have remained in New York. 

Matthew Clarkson, who went to London in the same vessel with Stoll, 
fiivd differently. He was a gentleman. His father was an eminent 
divine, the Rev. David ( 'larkson, of Yorkshire. His family were well 
known at Whitehall; and, besides, he was a young man of culture and 
refinement. His sister was the wife of Captain Lodwyck, and coming 
here to visit her, three years before, he had determined to make New 
York his home. He obtained the appointment of Secretary of the prov- 
ince, with power to choose his own deputies, aud returned with Sloughter. 
He soon after married Catharine, daughter of Gerritsen Van Schaick of 
Albany. 1 

Riggs arrived in Boston in December. He learned that Colonel 

Bayard was in Hartford at the house of Governor Treat, and wrote 
to him to say when he should arrive in New York. Bayard hastened 
home privately, never doubting but that the king's orders were specific 
enough now to set the wheels of government rolling properly. 

Riggs reached Bayard's house late on Sunday evening, and met with a 
warm welcome. But he had received advice in Boston which caused 
him great embarrassment. The wise men of that wise city had told him 
that he must give the king's letter to Leisler, who was in actual com- 
mand of the province. It was his own private belief that Leisler would 
refuse to receive and act upon a royal communication which was clearly 
intended for other parties. In order to avoid personal difficulty, he 
requested that all three of the counselors should be present and witness 

1 One of the curiosities of historical research in New York is the confusion of orthography 
in the matter of proper names. There was no standard orthography in the old Dutch lan- 
guage at that early period. Each individual seemed to spell according to his own fancy. 
Dutch names became Anglicized in part, and Dutch, English, and French were often blended 
together. It is sometimes almost impossible to trace family names. We have an instance 
in Gerritsen Van Schaick. In some of the old documents his name is written Gosen Van 
Schaick; in others. Goose Van Schaick; and in very many, Gerrits Goose. A hundred in- 
stances of a similar character might be cited within as many pages. 



THE KINGS LETTER. 371 

his surrender of the packet. Philipse was sent for, lmt Van Cortlandt 
was out of town, too tar away to be reached that night. 

Early the next morning, before it was possible for the counselors to 
meet, Leisler sent a company of armed soldiers to convey Riggs from his 
lodgings to the fort. He had no alternative hut obedience, yet he de- 
tained the escort under pretence of finishing his breakfast until he could 
dispatch an earnest request to Philipse to come with Van Cortlandt (who 
had been sent for during the night I to the tort and meet him in Leisler's 
presence. There was no time lost, and the two counselors arrived almost 
as soon as himself. They were warmed into violent excitement by the 
importance of the case, and sharply asserted that they were the persons 
to whom the packet was addressed. Leisler denied their claim. He 
held the reins of government, of which fact the king was aware, and to 
him, and to him alone, the address referred. Hot words accomplished 
nothing. Leisler's corollary was a weak one, and yet under the circum- 
stances beyond refutation. Besides, he had the advantage of present 
power. The counselors were conscious of being in the right, but their 
exasperation only aggravated previous acrimony. New York long groaned 
under the complication of miseries which resulted from that singular 
interview. 

Itiggs gave Leisler the king's packet, and Leisler gave Riggs a written 
receipt for it. Leisler then turned upon Philipse and Van Cortlandt, and 
called them " popishly affected dogs and rogues," and ordered them to 
"be gone." As for the people who rallied wildly around their supposed 
democratic, chief, the}* were kept entirely in the dark as to the contents 
of the king's letter to Nicholsou. It never was read openly during 
Leisler's rule. 

Leisler proceeded to announce publicly that he had received a com- 
mission from the king to be the lieutenant-governor of the province. He 
assumed the station and the title. He appointed a council, consisting 
of Peter De Lanoy, Hendrick Jansen, Dr. Gerardus Beekman, Samuel 
Edsall, Thomas Williams, and William Lawrence, administering the usual 
oaths. He made Milborne clerk of the Council and Secretary of the 
province, and with great ceremony and military parade he caused Wil- 
liam and Mary to be proclaimed anew. 

There was no seal for the province of Xew York, as Andros had broken 
that of 1687, when Xew England was consolidated ; hence Leisler 
ingeniously manufactured one by altering the Duke's coronet in 
his old seal of 1669, placing the crown of England upon his head. When 
Sunday morning came, Leisler with devout ostentation walked into the 
old Dutch Church, where he had so long been one of the deacons, and 



372 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YOUK. 

took his seat in the governor's pew. His new council seated themselves 
in the pew set apart for that august body of men. Angry breezes seemed 
In Mow through the length and the breadth of the sacred edifice that 
day, and never in the memory of the oldest church-goer, did Dominie 
Selyns find it so difficult to hold the attention of his congregation. 

Leisler, transformed into a royal chief, sternly inculcated the doctrine 
of passive obedience. The larger portion of the intelligent class of in- 
habitants knew that his extraordinary assumption had no foundation in 
fact, and that his acts under the circumstances could not be sustained 
by law. He issued a proclamation that the customs and excise 
' duties settled by the Colonial Act of 1683 remained in force. The 
Act had been disallowed by James, but the duties it levied had been 
continued by the order of Dongan. Leisler had been the very first man 
to refuse to pay duties under that order. He had called it a " popish 
Act," ami had made more noise and trouble in relation to it than any 
other merchant in New York. Now he was about to enforce it by his 
own arbitrary decree. It was the death-blow to democratic theories in 
the popular mind. 

There was a bristle of opposition, and an outburst of rage that was 
something fearful. At first it was vented upon the proclamation itself ; 
it was torn down and a paper declaring its illegality affixed in its place. 
The next day a duplicate of the proclamation was posted, together with 
an order forbidding any person to deface or take it away. But as the 
shades of night fell over the city it met with the same fate as its prede- 
cessor. Several persons were arrested under suspicion of having done 
the mischief and were thrown into the prison in the fort. They were 
seized and dragged into confinement without the slightest opportunity for 
self-defense. Among them were two lads, one of whom was Cornells, the 
younger brother of Captain Abraham De Peyster. Upon investigation 
it was found that the proclamation was undisturbed at the time of their 
commitment, but they were kept in custody, and refused bail, until their 
friends petitioned for their release, addressing Leisler as lieutenant-gov- 
ernor. 

An Indian slave belonging to Philip French was arrested and impris- 
oned on suspicion of having a part in tearing clown the proclamation. 
French was highly indignant, and expressed his opinion in contemptuous 
terms of the " self-styled lieutenant-governor." He was quickly arrested 
and thrown into the fort dungeon. He offered bail, but it was not ac- 
cepted. The small high windows of his cell were nailed carefully, and 
a strict watch kept outside. His friends were not permitted to see him ; 
even his lawyer was denied access, and he was treated more barbarously 



THE JAILS AND PRISONS FILLED. 373 

than a convicted felon. About the middle of February a message was 
surreptitiously conveyed to him that one of his vessels (he was a large 
shipping-merchant), containing a valuable cargo, was wrecked on the rocks 
near New London, and the urgent necessity for giving personal attention 
to the matter induced him to bend, and address a humble petition to 
Leisler, according him the title of lieutenant-governor, and asking for 
release upon the consideration of five hundred pounds bail. In a few 
days he was set at liberty. 

Leisler was quick of superficial apprehension and acted with re- 
markable promptitude. He possessed the elements of administrative 
capacity, but ignorance and inexperience in matters of state effectually 
clogged his pathway. His proceedings were all attended with vexation, 
and with more or less danger. Many who hailed him in the first in- 
stance as their protector from the evils of despotism and popery were 
disappointed and became his bitterest opponents. His dogmatism bore 
him with the swiftness of an arrow into blunders which no after repent- 
ance could retrieve. 

He issued new commissions, making justices, sheriffs, and military 
officers in the various counties of New York. Then he ordered all per- 
sons holding commissions from former governors to surrender them to 
the nearest magistrates. This last was in a multitude of instances openly 
and sneeringly disregarded. Officers prowled about the country arresting 
those who rebelled, and the prisons were soon found too small to hold 
such an army of captives. The jails and prisons were enlarged, and all 
rendered more secure. To try the prisoners Leisler commissioned courts 
of oyer and terminer, and to compel the payment of customs and excise 
duties he erected a court of exchequer. Thomas Clarke, a thorough Eng- 
lish lawyer, appeared before this tribunal, and boldly declared that no 
member had a commission from the reigning king to be a baron of his 
exchequer. 

Leisler wrote a long letter to King William, explanatory of his eon- 
duct ; but it was a clumsy document. He said he had acted upon the royal 
letter to Nicholson, "although two of Sir Edmund Andros's council pre- 
tended thereunto." He stated that his course had given great satisfac- 
tion to most of the people in the province. At the very moment he was 
penning those lines, his son was acting the part of a spy, to prevent the 
transmission of a different style of communications from Philipse, Van 
Cortlandt, and others. When Leisler learned that Andros and his fellow- 
prisoners were about to be sent to London, he determined to prevent any 
letters from disaffected persons reaching Boston, to be conveyed by them 
to England, and caused the arrest of the post-rider, John Perry, about 



374 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

one fourth of a mile beyond the house of Colonel Lewis Morris in West- 
chester, where it was known he frequently stopped for postal matter. 
The mail-bag was opened, and found to contain private letters from 
Bayard, Van Cortlandt, Brockholls, Morris, Nicolls, Reed, and many 
others. All criticised Leisler and his associates virulently and unspar- 
ingly. The post-rider was thrown into prison, from which he was not 
released for many months. Leisler announced that he had detected a 
" hellish conspiracy " against the government. He issued warrants for 
the apprehension of each of the gentlemen who had written to White- 
hall. 

Colonel Bayard was the first on the list, and the most rancorously pur- 
sued. The soldiers swore that they had orders to take him "dead or 
alive." They broke in the doors of his house, destroyed furniture as they 
went from room to room, and were profane and insolent to Mrs. Bayard 
and other members of his household. Bayard had secreted himself in 
the cellar of a cooper in the rear of his dwelling, where they found him 
at last, and dragged him in a most abusive manner to the fort. He was 
immediately manacled with irons, and the ponderous door of the prison 
closed upon him. 

Van Cortlandt's house was broken open in the same riotous manner, 
but he had made his escape, and his wife, dreading a repetition of former 
scenes, had fled with him. Some weeks elapsed before Mrs. Van Cort- 
landt ventured to return, and even then her liberty was threatened and 
her children insulted. A serious illness broke out in her family and one 
beloved child died, but the husband and father could only learn of his 
affliction in his refuge at Hartford, and at the same time grieve that his 
loyalty was misinterpreted, his honor stained, his credit blasted, and his 
large estate running to decay. 

William Nicolls, after escaping the soldiers through various stratagems, 
was finally seized at the Long Island ferry-house, and cast into the ill- 
ventilated dungeon beside Colonel Bayard. He was a spirited young 
man of thirty-three, the son of Matthias Nicolls, the former secretary of 
the province. Like his father, young Nicolls was an aristocrat ; and he 
had been conspicuous in his demmciations of Leisler, whom he called a 
"German upstart." He was the attorney-general of the province (since 
1687), and his character for courage and professional ability stood high. 
He was also a justice of the peace, and the chief ground of his imprison- 
ment was his refusal to surrender his commission under Leisler's edict. 
He was a bachelor, but three years later married Anna, daughter of Jere- 
mias Van Rensselaer. 1 

1 Van Cortlandt to Sir Edmund Andros, May 19, 1690. Robert Livingston to Sir Edmund 



PURSUIT OF ROBERT LIVINGSTON. 375 

It was rumored that both Bayard and Nicolls were to be tried for trea- 
son. Meanwhile Bayard was very sick in prison. His life was 
in imminent danger unless he could obtain medical attention and 1690 ° 
physical comforts. He therefore penned a humble petition to Leisler, 
addressing him as " lieutenant-governor," and after promising respect and 
deference for the future, asked for pardon and release. Leisler was im- 
mensely gratified with the concession. But Bayard was too dangerous 
an enemy to be allowed to run at large with impunity, and the petition 
was denied. Abundant bail was offered and refused. Both Bayard and 
Nicolls were kept in miserable cells for thirteen months, until the arri- 
val of Sloughter. 

In spite of all these rigorous measures Leisler found that much of the 
fruit of leadership was exceedingly unpalatable. He could command little 
respectful consideration save at the point of the sword. He was called 
"Lieutenant Blockhead," "Deacon Jailor." "Governor Dog-driver," and 
other uncomplimentary epithets. Those who were fearless iu the use 
of their tongues were unsparingly punished. Sometimes pardon was 
obtained through a deferential oath ; though such was the exception, 
not the rule. Christopher Gere was imprisoned for being heard to 
say that he was "just as much lieutenant-governor as Mr. Leisler." 

Robert Livingston incurred Leisler's wrath, and was pursued until he 
was obliged to escape from the province to avoid prison fare. He found 
refuge in Hartford with his brother-in-law Van Cortlandt. Both gentle- 
men were made welcome at the hospitable home of Governor Treat. 
Livingston's offense was disloyalty to Leisler. His influence in the 
Albany Convention, and his great wealth and resolute character, made 
him a formidable adversary. Leisler charged him with being a " Jacob- 
ite," and the ground of the accusation was his having been heard to say, 

in the early part of the disturbance, that "a panel of rebels had gon< t 

of Holland into England with the Prince of Orange at their head." Liv- 
ingston's lands were seized for taxes which he defiantly refused to pay. 

And all this time Albany st 1 out against Leisler, notwithstanding that 

he issued a commission to Captain Staats with an order to take posses- 
sion of Fort Orange. 2 Mayor Schuyler and the Convention demanded 

Andros, April 14, 1690. Mr. Newton to Captain Nicholson, May 26, 1690. John Clapp '■• 
Secretary of State, November 7, 1690. Tin- Address of New York Merchants to William n<<<l 
Mary, May 19, 1690. William Nicolls to Oeorgi Farewell, .Tunc 24, 1690. " A Modest and 
Impartial Narrative." Doc. Hist. New York, Vol. II. Col. Doc, Vol. III. Neio York Mist. 
Soc. Coll. (1868). Chalmers' Political Annals. Brodhead, II. Dunlap. Smith. Let 
Memorials to William and Mary. 

- Captain Jochim Staats married for his second wife Francina, the younger daughter of 
Jacob Leisler. 



376 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

sight of the king's letter to Nicholson. As it was withheld they declined 
to acknowledge Leisler as lieutenant-governor. 

Events, however, were close at hand which were likely to subordinate 
for a time all minor considerations. The orders received by Count 
Frontenac to commence hostilities against New England and New York 
" afforded him," so he wrote, " considerable pleasure, and were very neces- 
sary for the country." He immediately organized three different detach- 
ments, "to attack those rebels at all points at the same moment, and thus 
punish them for having protected the Mohawks." One of these ravaged 
Maine and destroyed the village of Salmon Falls, now Berwick in New 
Hampshire, and then, in conjunction with the second, burned Portland, 
alarming the whole eastern frontier of New England. 

The third and most important of the detachments marched towards 
Albany. It was composed of two hundred and ten men, ninety-six of 
whom were savages, from the northern tribes of the Iroquois, and the 
rest were " the best qualified Frenchmen for the purpose." 1 When some 
five or six days out, a council was called to determine the route they 
should follow. The Indians demanded of the French what was their 
intention. Upon being informed they objected. They said it was rash 
and desperate, for Albany was stronger than the French supposed, and 
the attacking party was too weak. It was finally decided to first destroy 
Schenectady. After a severe tramp over an intensely cold and moun- 
tainous country covered with snow, the expedition halted within six miles 
of the <1< " imed ti iwn i in four o'clock of Saturday afternoon. A reconnoiter- 
ing party soon reported its defenseless condition, and a little before mid- 
night the benumbed and exhausted Canadians proceeded to their fiendish 
task with barbaric ferocity. 

The town was in the form of a parallelogram, and contained upwards 
of eighty well-built and well-furnished houses. It was surrounded by a 
palisaded wall, and could be entered only by two gates. These gates were 
open, for no one apprehended the approach of an enemy from Canada in 
such bitter weather. Besides, Indian scouts were stationed in the vicin- 
ity of Lake Champlain, and they had seen nothing to occasion any alarm. 
Ami, saddest of all, the town within was divided against itself, and in no 
condition to make a defense. Leisler had been trying to clinch his author- 
ity there as well as in Albany, and some were for him and some were 
against him. The magistrates had lost their authority, and Leisler's new 
officers had not been able to establish their own. Talmage and his gar- 
rison were half starving for the wanl of supplies which it was the busi- 
ness of the town to furnish, and by withholding which the Leisler faction 
were determined to bring them to submission. 

1 Paris Docmnavts. Doc. Hist. Kcv> York, I. 2£<7-302. 



BUENING OF SCHENECTADY. 377 

All unguarded the people slept, when with one war-whoop- — a long, 
piercing, indescribable yell — the miserable work was begun. Schuyler, 
in writing of the massacre, said, " Neither pen nor tongue can express the 
horrors of that cruel night." There was little or no resistance. The fort 
was the only place under arms; it was set on tire, and Talmage and his 
men mercilessly slaughtered. The sack of the town lasted two la mis. 
Sixty persons were killed, and about an equal number taken prisoners. 
It was ordered that the minister, Dominie Terschenmacker, should be 
taken alive, for the purpose of obtaining information from him, but he was 
slain and his papers burned before he was recognized, ami afterwards his 
head was put upon a pole and carried to Canada. Twenty-five almost 
naked survivors made their escape from their burning homes, ami pushed 
their way half frozen through the snow to Albany. Some thirty Iroquois 
who were lodging in the village were spared, as it was a part of the policy 
of the French to win over the remainder of the savages through kindness, 
and the striking of audacious blows against the English. 

Some half-mile above the village lived the chief magistrate of Schenec- 
tady, ( laptain Alexander Glen. He was one of the members of the Albany 
Convention, and Leisler's partisans had threatened to burn his house. At 
daybreak a party of French visited him, and, finding that he had no inten- 
tion of surrendering, but was putting himself on the defensive with his 
servants and some Indians, they assured him that in consequence of cer- 
tain favors formerly received at his hands, he and his people and property 
should lie safe from violence. He accordingly laid down his arms on parole, 
entertained the officers in his private fort, and finally accompanied them 
to the burning town. Several women and children who claimed affinity 
with him were released from captivity. The Canadian savages muttered 
because their prisoners were reduced so greatly in numbers, and said. 
Every one seems to be a relation of Captain (den!" The next day 
the conquerors set out on their homeward journey, taking with them con- 
siderable plunder, including fifty good horses. They suffered from cold, 
hunger, and disease on the way. ate thirty-four of the horses, were several 
times attacked by Indian war-parties, losing many of their tired warriors, 
and finally, with a mere remnant of the expedition, reached Montreal, to 
report a victory which was a lasting disgrace to the French nation. 

The appalling news was carried to Albany by Simon Schermer- 

110 Feb. 9. 

horn, who, wounded himself, and on a lame horse, entered the 
town Sunday morning. Schuyler at once ordered the guns of the fort to 
be fired to summon the people together. There was no church-going thai 
day. All was hurry of preparation for carnage. An express was sent 
through the deep snow to Esopus, and to Claverack for assistance, it being 



378 HI8T0RI OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

supposed Albany would be next attacked It was soon discovered, how- 
ever, that the enemy had departed for Canada. A party of men 
' were sent to Schenectady to bun' the dead on Monday. The Con- 
vention then wrote to the governments of Massachusetts, Connecticut, 
Maryland, and Virginia, and to "the civil and military office!- oi New 
York," proposing that all should join in an attempt to take Queh 
water in the spring. Thus from Albany in her ue the first 

__ :jn of a union of the English colonies to attack the French. 

Schuyler sent for the Mohawk sachems, who came and mourned 
over the calamity that had befallen Schenectady. They pn n 
to join the English in an effort to ruin the French country and bring the 
war to an end. 1 The consolidation of American strength to intimidate the 
foe at the north by this means received inspiration, as the savages were 
worth a dozen armies such as the colonies could furnish. Leisler was up 
and ■; d as he heard of the massacre. He made it his first busi- 

10 disarm and imprison about forty officers who held commisf 
from Governor Andros. He also issued warrants for the arrest of Ex-Gov- 
ernor Dongan, Ex-Mayor Willett, Thomas Hicks, and several othei-s, under 
the pretended supposition that the}" were in league with the French. 
Dongan was obliged to leave his home, and fly into New Jersey, and 
from there to Boston. Several Xew Jersey gentlemen, among whom were 
William Pinhorne and Andrew Hamilton, dared not venture within the 
: Xew York. Leisler imagined that " cabals " were being held 
and plans matured to annihdate his authority, and rested upon military 
his power. 

The i.. .ich affairs led him to send ambassadors to the 

various colonies to confer on measures for public safety. For immediate 
protection be rais of one hundred and sixty men and sent them 

to Albany. As it was a moment of extreme danger, the Convention 
allowed them to enter the fort peaceably. L>e Bruyn, Mdborne, and Pro- 
voost were in command Leisler's authority was thus established He 
immediatelv proceeded to confirm the mayor and other city officers in 
their places, and to command all persons to respect and obey them. He 
also ordered that " no one a- r .roach another under penalty of 

the breach of the peace." A common danger is the most potent of har- 
monizing influences. 

In April Leisler called an assembly for the purpose of raising money 

1 Robert Livingston's Verbatim Account. N. T. Hist. Soc Coll. (1869), 165-186. Millet's 
■:. 1691. Doe. But. X. J'., TI. 91-95. Colden, I. 123-127. Smith, I. 105, 
106. .V. V. Hist. Soc. Coll., II. 105-109. X Y. Cot Jf.S.9.. III. 692-710. Brodhcad, 
II. 609-613. MunselT s Alb. Col., III. 



/■///■: FIRST COLONIAL CONGRESS IX AMERICA. oT'J 

for the proposed expedition against the French. It met at the house of 
Alderman Robert Walters, Leisler's son-in-law. An act was passed 
to tax property real and personal. But before other business ''" 
could be accomplished petitions came pouring in like hail-stones for the 
release of the suffering prisoners in the fort. Such was the excitement, 
and the number of people who gathered about Walters' house, that a riot 
seemed inevitable. Leisler was not in the humor for a popular inqui- 
sition, and hastily prorogued the Assemblj until September. 

He next convened a congress of the several colonies in New- 
York. At Livingston's suggestion, Massachusetts had already 
called a New England meeting at Rhode Island. This, however, was 
abandoned; and the first North American Colonial Congress mel al New 
York on the call of Leisler. The delegates from Massachusetts were Wil- 
liam Stoughton and Samuel Sewall ; from Plymouth, John Wallej ; from 
Connecticut, Nathan Cold and William Pitkin; and New York was rep- 
resented by Leisler and Mayor De Lanoy. It was agreed that New York 
.should furnish four hundred men, Connecticut one hundred and thirty- 
five, Massachusetts one hundred and sixty, Plymouth sixty, while Mary- 
land promised one hundred. Rhode Island could not send men, but 
would raise money in reasonable proportion. Leisler at once, anil with 
commendable vigor, fitted out three vessels for the capture of Quebec, — 
one a privateer of twenty guns, another a brigantine belonging to Captain 
Abraham De Peyster, and the third a Bermudan sloop. Two other sloops 
were also sent to cruise about Block Island, ami to see that Long Island 
Sound was kept clear of the French. Schuyler at Albany had meanwhile 
apprehended the French agents who had been sent to treat with 

May 27 

the Mohawks, and despoiled them of their letters I presents. 

Fair Frenchmen were given to the savages, who burned two of them. 
D'Eau was sent to New York. Among his papers was the Latin Letter 
of Laniberville to Millet, which contained certain expressions of good-will 
toward Dominie Dellius of Albany, which resulted in Leisler's charging 
that clergyman with "treasonable correspondence with the enemy." 

In the midst of all this commotion Stoll arrived from London with 
information which greatly troubled Leisler. The king had taken 
no notice of him, and had appointed Nicholson lieutenant-gov- 
ernor of Virginia. There was significance in the fact. Leisler saw too 
that the tide of popular feeling was setting against him. There was a 
great outcry about the taxes. The right of an assembly called by Leisler 
to impose them was stoutly denied. Presently the demands for the re- 
lease of Bayard and Nicolls assumed a black and threatening aspect. 
Leisler was one day assaulted in the street, and but that he never ven- 



380 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORE. 

tared out without a guard, he would probably have been killed. The 
assailants were quickly mastered, and some twenty or more of them were 
secured in irons. Leisler then issued a proclamation, that all who would 
not sign a declaration of fidelity to him, as representing King William, 
should be esteemed enemies to the king and be treated accordingly. 
Through marvellous strength of will Leisler was enabled to go on per- 
forming the most unjustifiable acts of cruelty, and at the same time 
succeeded in convincing his adherents that he was in the conscientious 
discharge of a pious duty. 

< lomplaints were not wholly checked with all his caution. An address 
to William and Mary, signed by the French and Dutch Dominies, 
' several elders and deacons, and many leading citizens, was dated 
May 19, and sent across the water. It stated that New York was 
ruled by the sword, "at the sole will of an insolent alien, assisted by 
those who formerly were not thought fit to bear the meanest office, sev- 
eral of whom can be proved guilty of enormous crimes ; . . . . and they 
imprison at will, open letters, seize estates, plunder houses, and abuse 
the clergymen." 

The expedition against Canada was well conceived. Leisler intended 
to command it himself, but was defeated by the Albany Convention. 
He tluMi appointed Milborne commander-in-chief, which offended New 
England, where Milborne had a very undesirable reputation. Win- 
throp was the choice of the army, and the influence was so strong in his 
favor that Leisler revoked his unfit appointment and issued a commission 
to the more popular general. All things being ready, Winthrop 
marched with the Connecticut forces to Albany, accompanied by 
Livingston, who was acquainted with the route, and from his long expe- 
rience in diplomacy with the Indians, one of the most valuable counselors 
in the whole matter. Winthrop was a guest in Livingston's family dur- 
ing his stay at Albany. Winthrop wrote to Treat that the whole design 
was " poorly contrived and in confusion." Milborne was acting as com- 
missary, and was self-sufficient and incompetent. The quotas of men 
were not equal to those promised at the Congress. After many days 
spent in frivolous disputes the troops went north as far as the 
head of Lake Champlain. But word followed them that Milborne 
could furnish no more provisions from Albany, and while they were try- 
ing to construct canoes to cross the lake, small-pox broke out in 
' the camp, and they were obliged to return to Albany. 
Leisler was furious at this failure, and hastened to Albany. Milborne 
charged it all to the interference of Livingston and the imbecility 
ue ' " ' of Winthrop. Leisler went through the mere form of an exami- 



NEW ROCHELLE. 381 

nation, and placed Winthrop and his principal officers in irons. This so 
outraged the Connecticut soldiers and the Mohawks, that Leisler in alarm 
set his prisoners at liberty, but he ordered Winthrop to appear in New 
York and make his defense. Connecticut at once administered a cutting 
rebuke. Her governor wrote to Leisler: "If you are concerned, so are 
we. since the army is confederate; and if you alone judge upon the gen- 
eral's and council of war's actions, it will infringe our liberty. A prison 
is not a catkolicon fir all state maladies, though so much used by you." 

One masterly achievement blunted the edge of disappointment as 
Canada escaped her threatened danger. Captain John Schuyler, a young 
man of twenty-two. led a band of forty Englishmen and one hundred and 
twenty Indians to La Prairie, opposite Montreal, where every house and 
haystack was burned, one hundred and fifty head of cattle destroyed, 
six men killed, and nineteen prisoners taken. Thus was Schenectady 
avenged. 

A great naval expedition from Boston, under the command of Sir 
William Phipps, sailed the 9th of August. It consisted of thirty 
vessels, the largest of which carried forty-four guns. Hut the men 
who had been sent over from England were newly raised and badly ap- 
pointed, and, owing to the want of pilots and the autumn storms, it did 
not reach Quebec until the 8th of October. It was then winter, or 
nearly, the expedition encountered a long list of disasters, and returned 
with heavy losses and without spoil. I luring the summer and early 
autumn, however, Leisler's vessels hail been on privateering voyages, 
and brought into Xew York several French prizes. 

The Assembly did not meet in September, owing to Leisler's absence 
in Albany. He accordingly issued writs, summoning it at a later 
day. When it came together it enacted a law requiring all per- ' 
sons who had left the province to return within three weeks from the 
time of its publication, under pain of being "esteemed disobedient Q .„ 
to the government." Another law levied a new tax for the sup- 
port of the garrison in the fort. A third law declared that any 0ct ' 4 ' 
person refusing to accept a civil or military commission from Leisler 
should be fined seventy-five pounds; and that any one leaving Albany or 
Ulster without permission from Leisler should lie fined one hundred 
pounds; and that all persons who had left those counties must return 
within fourteen days, "at their utmost perils." It would be difficult to 
find in the annals of legislation more despotic enactments. 

New Rochelle was founded that summer by a colony of French Hugue- 
nots. They purchased the land of Leisler, who had bought it of Mr. 
Pell. The\ were called upon almost immediately to pay taxes. They 



382 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

resented such a measure, as it was the first year of their sojourn upon the 
property, and sent petitions to Whitehall to he relieved from such in- 
sufferable duties. 

The people of Queens County declared against the government of 
Leisler; and Milborne, who had 1 men withdrawn from Albany, was sent 
to subdue "with violence all such as were refractory." Edsall and 
Williams were commissioned to assist him in searching houses and 
vessels and in securing suspected persons. Dominie Varick of Flatbush 
was arrested and imprisoned for too much freedom of speech. An at- 
tempt was made to imprison Dominie Dellius of Albany, for praying for 
the crown and not for the King of England, but he escaped to Boston 
Dominie Selyns offered bail for Dominie Varick, and was grossly abused. 
Dominies Ferret and Daille, the French clergymen, were threatened for 
withholding their approval of these high-handed proceedings. 

The last letter which Leisler wrote to the king was dated Octo- 
ber 20, 1690. He charged the failure of the Canadian campaign 
to the perfidy of New England, the treachery of Livingston, and the cow- 
ardice of Winthrop. Not far from the same date the aggrieved 
inhabitants of Hempstead, Jamaica, Flushing, and Newtown, met 
and wrote to the king's Secretary of State. They dwelt with bitter em- 
phasis upon their oppressed condition, and upon the tyrannical acts of 
the "bold usurper," and his accomplices. They said Milborne, who was 
famous for nothing but infamy, had in "a barbarous and inhuman man- 
ner plundered houses, stripped women of their apparel, and sequestered 
estates." They begged of the king " to break this heavy yoke of worse 
than Egyptian bondage," and said the crimes which Leisler had com- 
mitted would force him to take shelter under Catiline's maxim, "the ills 
that T have done cannot be safe but by attempting greater." 

The new year dawned gloomily. The rising wrath of the peo- 
ple of the metropolis was held in check by the fort. They dared 
say. however, that much of the plunder which had been obtained from 
houses, shops, cellars, and vessels was shipped to the West Indies and 
elsewhere and sold at a high price. The most extreme measures were 
resorted to for the collection of taxes ; even Leisler's friends were aghast 
at his hot-headed and rancorous persecutions. F.ut they could not hinder 
them. He was deal' and blind to the common dictates of humanity, 
and heeded no advice, save that which was in harmony with his own 
severe notions. It is probable that fear had much to do with his con- 
duet, as he saw no other way to hold the chair of state but by mere 
brutal force. Milborne insinuated himself into the good graces of Leis- 
ler's family, and kept their feelings lashed into fever-heat by declaim- 



WEDDING OF LEI1SLEK8 DAUGHTER. 383 

ing against the aristocrats. He came every day with some new and 
dismal skeleton, which was to alienate them more effectually from their 
relatives and friends. He was always glowering, and how he came to 
win the affections of the gentle, fair-haired, blue-eyed Mary Leisler must 

always remain a mystery. They were married in the early part of the 
year, and all the circumstances in connection with the wedding were of a 
depressing instead of a joyous character. Dominie Selyns, who had been 
their pastor for a long series of years, and who married Catharine Leisler 
to Robert Walters in 1685, was not invited mi this occasion. A few 
friends only, and not those who had formerly been most welcome in the 
household, were present: and there was heaviness in the air, and little 
light in the sunshine. That very evening came letters from Boston to 
Leisler, counseling him "to temper justice with moderation and merry, 
since the king's own settlement of the matter was so near." Governor 
Sloughter was indeed upon the water and might arrive at any moment 
But the very dread of his coming seems to have made Leisler more hard 
and implacable. 

William had been brought to a sense of the condition of Xew York 
through the addresses and petitions which claimed his attention. The 
frigate ArcTumgel and three smaller vessels were fitted, after much 
delay, to convey Sloughter to his government. Richard Ingoldsby, who 
had just returned from victorious service under William in Ireland, was 
commissioned lieutenant-governor. Two companies of soldiers accom- 
panied these officers to America. 

William was no less fond of sovereignty than dames, but he took 
broader views, and was much the more politic of the two. He ordained 
a government for Xew York which continued substantially in operation 
for nearly a century. It consisted of a governor and council appointed 
by the crown, and an assembly elected by a majority of the freeholders 
in the several counties of the province. In their mimic sphere these 
authorities shallowed the king, lords, and commons of England. Slough- 
ter's commission was in form like the one James gave Dongan and 
Andros, with the exception of the permitted Assembly. In case of the 
governor's death or absence, his duties were to be executed by the com- 
mander-in-chief, if the king should appoint one, or by "the first coun- 
selor/' who was to act as "President." William's instructions were 
similar to those of James to his governors. The former order respecting 
the Church of England was renewed, by which the Bishop of London 
was to have ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Xew York. Liberty of con-' ience, 
which James had granted to all peaceable inhabitants, was restricted by 
William to all such persons "except papists." The liberty of printing 
was limited in the same language used by dames. 



384 HISTORY OF THE city OF NEW YORK. 

William honorably discharged Andros and his fellow-prisoners, (who 
had been sent from Boston), finding no just cause of complaint against 
them. He also showed his appreciation of the former officers of the colo- 
nial government by appointing Frederick Philipse, Stephanus Van Cort- 
landt, Nicholas Bayard, William Smith, Gabriel Minvielle, Chidley Brooke, 
William Nicolls, Nicholas De Meyer, Francis Bombouts, Thomas Willett, 
William Pinhorne, and John Haines, as counselors to the new governor. 
Joseph Dudley of Massachusetts was subsequently added to this council, 
and also made chief justice of the province. James Grahame was ap- 
pointed recorder and attorney-general. 

The name of Leisler was not mentioned, and the sting was destined to 
be incurable. All the papers which had been received from Leisler, and 
the petitions from the inhabitants, were referred by the king ami his 
Privy Council to Sloughter, with orders to examine strictly and impar- 
tially into the case, and return a true and perfect account. 

The fleet was a long time on the ocean. The vessels separated 
in a storm, and three, under the command of Ingoldsby, were the 
first to reach New York. They were at once visited by Philipse, Van 
Cortlandt, and several other gentlemen, who, impatient of delay, urged In- 
goldsby to land and take possession of the fort. He accordingly prepared 
to do so, and sent a message to Leisler demanding the citadel for the 
king's soldiers and their stores. But Ingoldsby was only commissioned to 
obey Sloughter, and of this technical dilemma Leisler took advantage. 
He refused to yield the fort unless Ingoldsby should produce written 
orders from the king or governor. He sent Milborne, accompanied by 
Mayor De Lanoy, to the vessel to inspect Ingoldsby's documents, ami to 
offer the City Hall for the use of the king's forces. Ingoldsby was indig- 
nant ; he knew that William had never recognized Leisler's author- 
ity, and in high temper he issued a mandate to Captain Samuel 
Moore of Long Island for aid against the " rebels " who opposed the king. 
Leisler issued a " protest," and a call to the neighboring militia to 
assist him in enforcing orders. 

A clay or two passed, when Ingoldsby, learning that " malicious 
rumors " were afloat concerning his movements, issued a proclama- 
tion that he had not come to disturb but to protect the people. The 
next day Leisler proclaimed that he was ready to obey Sloughter 
when he should arrive, but forbade all persons from obeying In- 
goldsby, who had no orders. It was not long before Ingoldsby was well 
assured that the current of popular favor was in his behalf; he therefore 
landed his troops with as much caution as if he had been making " a de- 
scent into the country of an enemy," and quartered them in the City Hall. 






BLOODSHED IN NEW YORK. 380 

He then sent a message to Leisler with an order to release Bayard and 
Nicolls, who were named as counselors by the king. This was the rough- 
est blow which had as yet descended upon the misguided man. 
"What!" he exclaimed, white and trembling with passion, "those 
popish dogs and rogues!" The answer which was taken back to Ingolds- 
by was to the effect that they must remain confined " until his Majes- 
ty's further orders arrive." 

Time moved on slowly. Where was the missing frigate, and Governor 
Sloughter ? The soldiers on both sides were unruly. A story was circu- 
lated that Ingoldsby and his party were " papists " and disaffected persons 
(led from England, holding only forged commissions. Armed men and 
supplies of provisions were constantly arriving at the fort. Leisler for- 
bade the king's soldiers from going the rounds, and issued voluminous 
threats. The city was in a great tumult. Six of the counselors named 
in Sloughter's commission met and tried to straighten matters. They 
finally issued a call for the neighboring militia, to prevent any 

, , .. . . „ . - T . - March 4. 

outrageous and hostile proceedings on the part ol Leisler. 
Leisler replied with a proclamation, declaring that lie was constrained to 
take up arms in defense u¥ " thrir M< tjr.it its' xitprrmitri/," and denounced 
the illegal proceedings of the king's own officers. He also wrote a flatter- 
ingly worded letter to Governor Sloughter, who, it was supposed, had 
stopped at Bermuda, expressing the hope that "his Excellency " might 
speedily arrive. 

Matthew < llarkson, the new secretary, who had come on the ves- 
sel with Ingoldsby, wrote, by request of the counselors, to the gov- 
ernment of Connecticut for advice. A response came quickly from Treat 
and Allyn, who advised that anything "tolerable and redressible" had 
better he borne from Leisler until the arrival of Sloughter. At the same 
time they wrote to Leisler, urging him to "so act and demean himself as 
not to violate the peace and safety of the country." Dr. Gerardus Beek- 
maii, who had been a stanch friend of Leisler through his entire rule, was 
alarmed at the course the latter was pursuing, and foresaw bloodshed : he 
assembled the people of King's and Queen's Counties, who framed a peace 
address, and he took it upon himself to confer personally with Leisler and 
attempt to dissuade him from such " base and imprudent proceedings." 
It was of no use. Leisler was obtusely stubborn. He prepared 

i ii- • -r ■. , , '', , ii March 16. 

a long declaration against Ingoldsby and the counselors, and or- 
dered them to disband their forces, — which they had collected to the num- 
ber of several hundred, — otherwise they would be pursued and destroyed. 
He demanded an answer within two hours. It came; they said 
they wished to preserve the peace, and whoever should attack 




386 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

them would be "public enemies to the Crown of England." It would 
seem as if the judgment of Leisler was wholly unbalanced just at this 
crisis. He probably acted under the most intense excitement. He had 
not the slightest intention of disobeying his royal master, and yet he 
placed himself in the direct attitude of 
rebellion. Within half an hour after he 
received Ingoldsby's temperate message he 
fired one of the guns of the fort at the 
king's troops as they stood on parade. This 
was followed by several shots at a house 
where some of them lodged. Several were 
wounded, and two killed, one of whom was 
an old soldier, Josiah Bowne. Consterna- 
tion spread through the city. The guns of 
the fort were answered, but, safely en- 
trenched behind the breastworks, Leisler's 
Beekman Arms. party did not suffer. Leisler ordered the 

block-house at Smit's Vlye to support the fire from the fort. The com- 
mander, Brasher, seeing Ingoldsby's soldiers preparing to attack him, went 
to the fort for further orders, and was imprisoned for not firing at once. 
In his absence the burgher-guard at the block-house laid down their arms 
and went to their houses. 

This defection disheartened Leisler. The next day he fired a few more 
shots, which did no harm. Ineoldsby held his men on the defen- 

March 18. . . „ 

sive, expecting a sally from the fort at any moment. To distin- 
guish his men from those attached to Leisler he directed them to wear 
white bands on their left arms. 

At this distressing moment word came that the Archangel, with the 
„„ t , governor on board, had anchored just below the Narrows. She 

March 19. ■' 

had been nearly wrecked on the Bermuda rocks, and detained for 
repairs. The counselors hastened in a small boat to welcome the long- 
expected and much-desired commander-in-chief. As soon as he learned 
the state of affairs, he came at once to the city in the ship's pinnace. 
It was evening, but he proceeded to the City Hall, the bell was rung, and 
his commission read before a large assemblage. The shouts of joy and 
the noisy uproar made Leisler tremble. Sloughter took the oath of office, 
as did also the counselors who were present. Notwithstanding the late- 
ness of the hour (it was eleven o'clock), Ingoldsby was sent with his 
troops to demand entrance to the fort. Leisler refused, but sent Stoll to 
Sloughter for "orders under the king's own hand directed to himself." 
Stoll with coarse effrontery expressed his gratification that "Governor 



ARRIVAL OF GOVERNOR SLOUGHTER. 387 

Slo lighter was the same man whom he had seen in England," and received 
the quick and tart reply: "Yes, I have been seen in England, and intend 
now to be seen in New York." No further notice was taken of Stoll. 
Ingoldsby was sent back to the fort to order Leisler, and such as were 
called his council, to report themselves at the City Hall, and to release 
Bayard and Nicolls immediately from their confinement. Presently In- 
goldsby returned, accompanied by Milborne and .Mayor 1 le Lanoy. Leis- 
ler said the fort could not be surrendered in the night-time according to 
military rules, and had sent the two last-named gentlemen to explain 
They were not allowed to speak at all, but were committed to the guards, 
[ngoldsby was sent to the fort the third time with the same order, and 
was the third time "contemptuously" refused. It was now past mid- 
night, and the governor directed the council to meet him early the next 
morning. And thus ended that eventful day. 

The gentlemen assembled promptly on Friday morning at the City 
Hall. Leisler had prepared an apologetic letter, tendering the 
fort and government in the best English he could use, promising 
to give " an exact account of all his actions and conduct." His egotism on 
points which he did not clearly understand, not disloyalty, was what gave 
him the appearance of trying to capitulate. But Sloughter's plans were 
all matured before the document was received, and it was laid on the 
table unnoticed. He sent Ingoldsby to require the men in the fort to 
ground their anus and march out, promising pardon to all save Leisler 
and his council. The latter, having " been found in actual rebellion," 
were conducted to the City Hall, and committed to the guards. The 
great prison door was opened, and Bayard and Nicolls freed from their 
long confinement. They were brought to the City Hall, looking aged and 
emaciated: they were hardly able to stand upon their feet. They took 
the oaths of office amid warm congratulations; and a little later Leisler 
was conveyed to the same dungeon which they had occupied, and the 
chain which Bayard had worn was put upon his leg. 

Sloughter at once took possession of the fort, which he named William 
Henry. He issued writs the same day for the election of representatives 
to an Assembly to meet on the 9th of April. He commissioned John 
Lawrence mayor of the city, 1 William Pinhorne recorder, and Thomas 

1 John Lawrence was seventy-two years of age, and few men of liis time were held in higher 
esteem; his letters evince remarkable energy and decision of character, and an- evidently 
the production of a man of superior intellect and liberal education. His nephew, William 
Lawrence, was one of Leisler' s council, a man already past middle life. Although so widely 
separated in their political views there was great confidence and affection existing between 
the uncle and nephew, and it was a painful position indeed when tin one was appointed to 
the commission for trying the political offenders, and the other was one of those offenders. 



388 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Clarke coroner. Thomas Newton was made attorney-general of the 
province. 

The following Sunday was the first time in months that the church- 
going community had breathed freely. The clergymen thanked 
'God fervently for present blessings. Dominie Selyns preached 
from the twenty-seventh Psalm, his text being, " I had fainted unless 
I had believed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living." 
His sermon, penned through the fulness of joy at the turn events had 
taken, may have heen a libel upon the Christian theory of mercy to a 
fallen foe, but it was the outpouring of a heart which had been sorely 
tried, and the reasonings of a spirit which had calmly reviewed the 
situation. It had its effect upon public opinion, and stimulated the 
demand which was everywhere rending the air for the punishment of 
the author of the wrongs which had been visited upon the community. 
Not a ray of pity for the mistakes of the humiliated Leisler seemed 
to penetrate the cell where he sat in a state of the most abject despond- 
ency. 

On Monday a committee was appointed to examine the prisoners. It 
consisted of Chief Justice Dudley, Van Cortlandt, and Brooke. 

March 23. J 

They were committed for trial. Owing to certain recent transac- 
tions, Sloughter declined hearing the case, and ordered a sj>ecial court of 

oyer and terminer. Dudley and Thomas Johnson were appointed 

judges in admiralty, together with Sir Robert Robinson, the former 
governor of Bermuda, Colonel William Smith, Mayor John Lawrence, 
Recorder Pinhorne, Captain Jasper Hicks of the frigate Archangel, Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Ingoldsby, John Younge, and Isaac Arnold. It was 
said that they were gentlemen most capable of discerning the truth, and 
the least prejudiced against the prisoners. Bayard, Van Cortlandt, and 
Pinhorne were directed to prepare the evidence. William Nicolls, 
George farewell, and James Emott were assigned as king's counsel, to 
assist Attorney-General Newton, who was then reputed the best lawyer 
in America. 

The trial began March 30. The indictment found by the 

grand jury charged the prisoners with treason and murder, "for 
holding by force the king's fort against the kind's governor after the pub- 
lication of his commission, and after demand had been made in the king s 
name, and in the reducing of which lives had been lost." Eight of the 
prisoners pleaded " Not Guilty." Leisler and Milborne refused to plead 
until the court should decide whether the king's letter to Nicholson had 
or had not given Leisler authority to take upon himself the government. 
The court referred the question to Sloughter and his council, who declared 



THE TRIAL OF LEISLER ASD HIS COUNCIL. 389 

that nothing whatever in the king's letter, or in any of the papers of the 
Privy Council which Sloughter had seen, could be understood or inter- 
preted to contain any power and directum for Captain Jacob Leisler to 
assume control of the government of the province, and that such control 
could not be holden good in law. 

The court announced this derision, but Leisler and Milborne still re- 
fused to plead, and appealed to the king. They were accordingly tried 
as mutes. Alter eight days the jury pronounced them guilty, together 
with Abraham Gouverneur, Dr. Gerardus Beekman, Johannes Vermilye, 
Thomas Williams, Myndert Coerten, and Abraham Brasher. De Lanoy 
and Edsall were acquitted. Chief Justice Dudley then proceeded to pro- 
nounce the sentence of death upon the eight condemned criminals, accord- 
ing to the barbarous English law then in full force. 

The prisoners at once petitioned the governor for a reprieve until the 
king's pleasure should be known; and their petition was granted. 
Sloughter wrote to William : " Never greater villains lived, but 1 
am resolved to wait your pleasure if by any other means than hanging I 
can keep the country quiet." He also wrote: "I find these men against 
whom the depositions were sent, to be the principal and most loyal men 
of this place, whom Leisler and .Milborne did fear and therefore grievously 
oppress. Many that followed Leisler were through ignorance put up to 
do what they did, and I believe if the chief ringleaders are made an 
example the whole country will be quieted, which otherwise will be hard 
to do." In a letter to the Plantation Committee, Sloughter wrote: "The 
loyal and best part of the country is very earnest for the execution of the 
prisoners. But if bis Majesty will please grant his pardon for all except 
Jacob Leisler and Jacob Milborne, it will be a favor." 

Sloughter investigated the various accusations as he was directed by 
the king. Those againsl Leisler, contained in the address of the people, 
he found "severally true." Those against Bayard and Nicolls, forwarded 
by Leisler, he pronounced of small consequence Those gentlemen could 
prove that they had always been good Protestants, and only desired to con- 
tinue the government in peace until orders should arrive from England. 

The Assembly convened on the day appointed in a small coffee-house 
on Pearl Street. It was a proud era for New York, for it was the 
first popular representation under the direct authority of the 
crown. James Graham was appointed speaker. He was a lawyer who 
had already attained distinction at the bar, and a man of great dignity, 
of fine presence, and a master of rhetoric. He was the second son of the 
Earl of Montrose, of Scotch notoriety, and in all his tastes and habits and 
methods of thought was a fair type of tin- ancient nobility of Great 



3 l J0 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Britain. The governor and Chief Justice Dudley each appeared, and 
made a speech. The latter was noted for legal acumen and sound prin- 
ciples. He had the appearance of a man whose body was at the mercy 
of a restless mind ; he was tall, thin, pale, and wore the worn look which 
comes with constant study. He was afterwards a member of the British 
Parliament, lieutenant-governor of the Isle of Wight, and governor of 
Massachusetts from 1702 to 1720). The members of the Assembly were 
not experts in legislation, but with Newton and Graham to draft their bills 
they accomplished no little business. They passed fourteen laws ; one 
of the first was for settling the late disorders, and to provide against 
similar disturbances in the future. The old Court of Assizes was abol- 
ished, and a new Supreme Court, consisting of five judges, instituted in its 
stead. Dudley was to be chief justice, and Johnson, Smith, Van Cortlandt, 
and Pinhorne associate judges. A revenue for defraying the public ex- 
penses (if the province was granted. But the law was limited to two 
years, which annoyed the succeeding governors, who wished revenue to 
be granted for longer periods. The Assembly was a thoroughly royalist 
body, and yet in language clear and forcible they asserted the right to a 
representative government, not as a consequence of royal favor, but as an 
English liberty inherent in the people. 

A resolution was passed, unanimously, by the House, condemning 
Leisler's acts as illegal, arbitrary, mischievous, destructive, and rebellious, 
and charging the tragedy at Schenectady entirely to his account. This 
resolution was copied in full, signed by James Graham, Speaker, and sent 
to the governor, " that his Excellency might know that his acts had been 
approved." 

Meanwhile petitions were coming in upon Sloughter and his council 
from every quarter. Dr. Gerardus Beekman prayed for pardon on the 
ground that he was only at the fort to persuade Leisler against inhu- 
manly firing on the king's soldiers, and that he had very sick patients 
who needed his immediate attention. His wife, Magdalena Beekman, 
entreated in a most touching strain that better accommodations be given 
him in the prison until the king's pleasure should be known. She said 
that her husband had acted on the Committee of Safety oidy at the ur- 
gent request of the people of Long Island, and that he had had " true 
meaning and good intent"; but that he now " saw plainly that he had 
been misled for the want of a right understanding." William Beekman 
interceded for his son: and issued a government bond of £100 to 
Sloughter, as security for the use of certain property belonging to Dr. 
Gerardus before he was convicted of treason, and which in case of his 
non-pardon was forfeited to the crown. 



SIGNING OF THE DEATH WARRANT. 391 

Petitions from the families and friends of the other condemned pris- 
oners were received in great numbers. One for the pardon of Leisler 
was largely signed in Westchester and on Staten [sland. But counter- 
petitions were equally numerous, from those who had Keen wronged and 
distressed, all praying that the ringleaders m the late administration 
should be immediately executed. Many of the prominent and loyal 
men declared that there was no security for life or fortune while such 
"tyrants" were allowed to exist, for they might head an ignorant mob on 
any occasion; they announced their intention of removing from the 
province unless Leisler and Milborne, at least, were made to sutler the 
extreme penalty of the law. Word came from Albany about the same 
time that the Mohawks, disgusted with Leisler's mismanagement, were in 
actual treaty with the French. It was imperative that the new governor 
should quickly conciliate the savages, else the province would be lost. 

Any estimate which can now be framed of the extent of the pressure 
which was brought to bear upon Sloughter must necessarily be very in- 
exact. He was a weak, avaricious, immoral man at the best; he was 
also notoriously intemperate. But whether drunk or sober the facts of 
the case remain the same. He was under the direct influence of men 
who had suffered until human hate had well nigh exhausted every other 
fountain of feeling. He was a guest in the bouse of Colonel Bayard. 
Smith says, that ".Sloughter was invited to a wedding-feast and when 
overcome with wine was prevailed upon to sign the death-warrant. 
and before he recovered his senses the prisoners were executed." This 
statement, even if true in part, cannot be true as a whole, for the death- 
warrant was signed on Thursday and the execution took place on Satur- 
day. 1 It has been said that the three Dutch ministers constantly argued 
for the administration of justice in the pulpit. It has been said that 
ladies who had tears for highwaymen and housebreakers breathed noth- 
ing but vengeance, and earnestly pleaded with Sloughter to have com- 
passion upon them, and upon the country, by removing forever the guilty 
creatures. It has been said that large sums of money were offered the 
needy governor to induce him to put his name to the fatal paper; and 
that his own wife, from sheer covetousness, added her voice of entreaty 
to the same effect. 

Caution must be exercised in accepting such accounts as history, 
penned as they were by violent partisans, and tinctured with the narrow- 

1 Letter from Members of the Dutch Church in New Fori to the Classis of Amsterdam, 
October 21, 1698. N. V. Hist. Soc. Coll. (1868), pp. 398-412. Address of the New York 
Legislative Assembly to Lord Bellamont, May 15, 1699. Governor Sloughter to Colonel Cod- 
rington. Governor Sloughter to Mr. Blathwayt. Governor S/ouglUer to Lord Inchiquin. 



392 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

minded prejudice of that peculiar age. It appears that Sloughter hesi- 
tated through an imperfect apprehension that he should exceed his legal 
power by pronouncing death upon prisoners who had appealed to the 
king. He was finally led into the belief that this act would enable him 
to manage the Indians, for he had decided to go to Albany and meet the 
Mohawk sachems. At the meeting with his council May 14, the follow- 
ing was entered upon their records : — 

" Present, His Excellency the Governor, Frederick Philipse, Nicholas Bayard, 
Stephanas Van Cortlandt, William Nicolls, and Gabriel Minvielle. 

" Upon the clamor of the people daily coming to his Excellency relating to 
the execution of the prisoners condemned of treason, and having received the 
opinion of the greater part of the Representatives of the Assembly now convened, 
lie was pleased to offer to the council his willingness to do what might lie most 
proper for the quiet and peace of the country before he should go to Albany. 
And he demanded of the council their opinion whether the delay of the execu- 
tion of justice might not prove dangerous at this conjuncture. Whereupon it 
was unanimously resolved, that for the satisfaction of the Indians, and the asser- 
tion of the government and authority, and the prevention of insurrections and 
disorders for the future, it is absolutely necessary that the sentence pronounced 
against the principal offenders be forthwith put in execution." 

The next paragraph explains itself : — 

COUNCIL-ROOM, May 16, 1691. 
His Excellency having sent the minute of council of the 14th of May, re- 
ferring to the execution of the principal criminals condemned of treason, to the 
House of Representatives to acquaint them of the resolve of this board, the same 
was returned underwritten in manner following : — 

Hoi se of Representatives for the Province of New York, 
Die Veneris, May 15, P. M., 1691. 
This House, according to their opinion given, do approve of what his Ex- 
cellency and council have done. 

By order of the House of Representatives. 

James Graham, Speaker. 

Thus the death-warrant was signed. Dominie Selyns was the messen- 
ger who was sent to break the terrible intelligence to the unhappy men. 
They petitioned Sloughter for a reprieve, but it was not granted. He re- 
spited all the sentence, however, save the hanging and the separation of 
the heads from the bodies. 

The scenes within the cells were for the next few hours heart-rending. 
For all they had done, for all they had attempted to do, for their loyalty 
to the king, for their Christian zeal, only an ignominious death. Self- 
opinionated no longer, broken in spirit, overcome by the grief of his fam- 






EXECUTION OF LEISLER AND M1LB0RNE. 393 

ily and by unavailing regrets, Leisler humbled himself before his God and 
prepared for the end. As for Milborne, he never ceased his efforts to 
excite pity and clemency. Despair preyed upon his mind until ho was 
almost a maniac. 

Saturday dawned with a dark, northeast, melancholy rain-storm brood- 
ing over the city. The gallows was erected near the site of the old Tam- 
many Hall. A ferocious rabble assembled to witness the execution; they 
said a grave under the gallows was too respectable a resting-place for the 
"black dogs": they said they should have been tortured like Indians; 
and they hoped they might go to the place of wailing and gnashing of 
teeth. A strong guard of soldiers was esteemed necessary to prevent the 
prisoners from being torn in pieces when they should be led forth. 

Dominie Selyns walked beside the doomed men and offered the last 
consolations of religion. Leisler made a short speech upon the scaffold 
He said he knew that he had grievously erred in many ways, and asked 
pardon of (rod and of all those whom he had offended. He declared his 
loyalty to the king and queen, and prayed that all malice might be buried 
in his grave. He said he forgave the most implacable of his enemies, and 
begged his friends and relations to forget and forgive any injury done to 
him. He prayed for all in authority, and for his distressed and afflicted 
family, and requested charity and prayers for himself. Milborne spoke 
for a lew moments in a pathetic strain, but, seeing Livingston in the 
crowd, he exclaimed, " You have caused my death. Before God's tribunal 
I will impeach you for the same." The sheriff asked Leisler if he was 
ready to die. He replied that he was, and that he did not tear death, 
for what he had done had been for the king and queen, the Protestant 
religion, and the good of the country. He then exclaimed, "I am 
ready ! " 

The drop fell. A wail of anguish rent the air, which for the moment 
drowned the gross ribaldry of those who regarded the scene with bar- 
barous exultation. Women fainted, and sorrow-stricken mourners min- 
gled their tears with the falling rain. It was a solemn ami an ominous 
occasion, and it left its abiding mark upon New York history. Its effects 
are still with us. Better men have paid as dearly for their mistake- in 
all ages of the world, but Jacob Leisler and Jacob Milborne were the only 
two who were ever executed in New York for a political crime. 

The event was variously judged. Candid jurists pronounced the whole 
proceeding perfectly lawful. " But," said others, " there were extenuating 
circumstances which were not allowed to appear at the trial." Concern- 
ing no public actor in colonial history has opinion more widely differed 
than in regard to Jacob Leisler. He has been held up as a champion of 



394 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF XEW YORK. 

Dutch democracy against English aristocracy, of Protestantism against 
Romanism, of republicanism against monarchism. It is evident, how- 
ever, from a careful analysis of his official career, that there was no 
struggle in New York to call for championship in any of these direc- 
tions. And his acts clearly negative all claim to democratic theories. 
He seized authority with honest intentions and with unquestionable be- 
lief in tin- plots his fancy created. He afterwards became infatuated with 
the novelty of the position, and his strong passions and feeble judgment 
led him into more unpardonable excesses than were ever committed by 
any of the governors placed over the colony by the Crown of England. 
And \ct he was not a bad man, and his execution was a shocking blunder. 
He became a martyr in memory, not a convict, and his death was the 
stock of a party which for years, by its triumphs and its defeats, retarded 
seriously the prosperity of New York. 

The outcry was at once raised that he had been murdered. " Barbar- 
ously murdered," wrote Dr. Mather to Chief Justice Dudley. " Revenge- 
fully sacrificed," wrote Jeremias Van Eensselaer to the Lords of Trade. 
The various accounts of the transaction produced a profound sensation in 
England. The touching appeals to the king from Mrs. Leisler and her 
children, and from the young widow of Milborne, that the estates of the 
deceased might be restored to their families, were carefully weighed. 
William declared in favor of the fairness of the trial, and the justness of 
the sentence, since they were not indicted for the part they had taken 
in the revolution, or in the subsequent violences, but simply for holding a 
fortress by arms against the legal governor, which in the judgment of law 
was levying war against the king. But he ordered their estates to be re- 
turned to their heirs, because the services of the fathers required some 
compensation. 

This imperfect redress did not satisfy. The children and friends of 
Leisler persisted year after year until an act of Parliament reversed the 
attainder, which occurred in 1695. 2 It was almost entirely accomplished 
through the able Massachusetts agents ; but it is said when the hand- 
some, energetic young Jacob Leisler, Jr., appeared in England, and was 
favored in his suit by Lord Bellomont, that Robert Livingston, who was 
there at the time, and who was an intimate personal friend of the Earl, 
had several interviews with him and interested himself in recommending 
the subject, as well as young Leisler himself, to the notice of the Lords. 

1 Jacob Milborne, a son of tbe deceased by his first wife, was one of the petitioners named. 
It is recorded that Joanna Edsall, wife of Jacob Milborne, joined the Garden Street Dutch 
Church, November 29, 1688. She was the daughter of Samuel Edsall, and died, as is be- 
lieved, during her husband's absence in Europe. 



ROBERT LIVINGSTON. 



95 



New York was now iu a most critical condition, not only from internal 
faction but from foreign warfare. The French king was fully bent upon 
the conquest of a province which through the Five Nations had caused so 




May 26. 



Portrait of Robert Livingston. 
(From copy (of Gen. J. Watts de Peyster) of original painting in possession of Clermont Livingston.) 

much bloodshed and desolation among his Canadian subjects. All the 
art of the French character was brought into requisition to win the sav- 
ages to their standard. Sloughter arrived in Albany May 26. 
The Mohawks were there before him, and the meeting took place 
the next day. The negotiations were managed by Mayor Schuyler and 
Robert Livingston, and were exceedingly interesting. Sloughter bad 
brought presents from England, which were given to the Indians 
with much ceremony. 1 One of the Mohawk chiefs said that the late 

1 These presents were 1 doz. stockings, 6 shirts, 3 bags powder, 16 bars of lead, 30gul 
strung wampum, 3 runlets rum, 3 rolls tobacco, and privately to the chiefs some coats of 
duffels. Governor Slaughter's Answer to (he Proposition of the Uohawl Sachems, Albany, May 
26, 1691. Nino York Obi Doc., Vol. III. 771 781. Chalmers's Political Annals. 



396 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

disorders in the province had wellnigh confounded all their affairs, 
and that several of their white brethren had deserted Alban}*- in the 
hour of danger, which must not happen again. Finally, in order to re- 
establish the confidence of the savages on a firm basis, it was decided that 
Mayor Schuyler should lead them on an aggressive campaign into Canada, 
and preparations were immediately made. Schuyler left Albany on the 
21st of June with four hundred men, five sixths of whom were 

' Indians, and plunged into the dense forests to the north. He 
crossed Lake Champlain, and pushed directly into the enemy's country. 
With rapid strides he soon reached La Prairie, and surprised the governor 
of Montreal, who was encamped with a large force. Owing to the prowess 
of the Mohawks, Schuyler obliged his gallant opponents to retire into 
their fort, which he assaulted, though with a success hardly equal to his 
vigorous efforts. Apprehending danger of being cut off in his retreat, he 
prudently retired and conducted his warriors in triumph to Albany. His 
exploit stimulated the Iroquois, who continued their attacks upon the 
French unaided, and nobly protected New York while her exhausted re- 
sources enabled her to maintain only feeble frontier garrisons. 

Sloughter remained in Albany until Schuyler's departure and 

' then returned to New York. He found a multitude of duties 

awaiting him, and entered upon their performance at once. But his 

career was soon checked. He was taken suddenly ill on the 21st 
July 21. . . 

of July, and died on the morning of the 23d. His symptoms were 

7 of such a nature that the physician suspected he had been poi- 
soned. A negro servant who had been seen to put something in his coffee 
at the table just before his attack was accused and examined, and in great 
terror called upon Heaven to witness that it was only sugar. A post- 
mortem investigation resulted in the opinion that he had died from natural 
causes, and the grateful negro was exonerated from suspicion. His body 
was placed in the Stuyvesant vault by permission of the family, next to 
that of the honored Dutch governor. 

Chief Justice Dudley, to whom as president of the council the gov- 
ernment would have fallen in this emergency, was in Curacoa. In 
consequence, the council met two days after the governor's death, and 
unanimously declared Ingoldsby commander-in-chief, until the king's 
pleasure should be known. 

It was not long before information reached New York that the French 
had been reinforced and were planning to attack Albany. Schuyler had 
not returned. It was next to impossible to raise more men and money. 
Therefore Ingoldsby and the council applied to New England for aid, 
which was "flatly denied." In this extremity they wrote to the Lords 



ETIENNE DE LANCEY. 397 

of Trade, begging earnestly for warlike stores. In explaining the condi- 
tion of New York, they said " it had never ceased to groan under its in- 
supportable pressures since its miserable union with Boston." They even 
charged all the recent calamities upon Boston. "New York had always 
been signal for her good affection to monarchy until poisoned with the 
seditions and anti-monarchiaJ principles of Boston." 

Ingoldsby hurried to Albany and conferred with some of the Mohawk 
sachems. He gave them presents, and they, more friendly than the New 
England people, continued their defensive warfare. 

The Assembly met in September and made what appropriations seemed 
practicable. Schuyler had by that time returned, and the prospecl was 
brighter. The city elections were comparatively cpuiet. The aldermen 
chosen were, William Beekman and Alexander Wilson for the East 
Ward, William Merritt and Thomas Clarke for the Dock Ward, John 
Merritt and Garret Dow for the Out Ward, Johannes Kip and Tennis 
De Kay for the North Ward, Robert Darkins and Peter King for the 
West Ward, and Brandt Schuyler and Stephen De Lancey for the South 
Ward. 

Brandt Schuyler, although he took a less active part in public lite than 
his brother Peter, was universally respected. In personal appearance he 
bore a striking resemblance to his sister Gertrude, Mrs. Van Cortlandt. 
His wife was Cornelia, the sister of Stephanus Van Cortlandt, hence the 
two families were doubly related, and lived on terms of great social 
intimacy. 

Stephen, or, as he was more commonly known, Etienne De Lancey, was 
the son of a French nobleman of Caen in Normandy. He was the ances- 
tor of all of that honorable name in this country. He brought with him 
many evidences of wealth and culture. He prosecuted a foreign trade, 
chiefly to Africa, and acquired a large fortune. His place of business 
was on Pearl Street ; nine years later he married Ann, the daughter of 
Stephanus Van Cortlandt. 




398 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER XXI 

1691-1701. 
ABRAHAM DE PBYSTER. 

Abraham De Peyster. — Effects of the Revolution. —The two Hostile Factions. 
— The Garden Street Church. — Origin of "Water Street. — Public Paupers. — 
City Legislation. — Condition of the Province. — The Corporation Dinner. — 
Governor Fletcher. — Fletcher studying the Indians. — The Gift of a Gold 
Cup. — Fletcher's Difficulties. — Boston meddling. — Caleb Heathcote. — A 
Curious Romance. — The Assembly stiff-necked. — Fletcher in Temper. — The 
first Printing in New York. — Sir William Phipps. — Official Stealing. — 
Livingston in England. — Young Leisler at AVilliam's Court. — Wrangling in 
the Assembly. — Accusations and Counter- Accusations. — Fletcher's Speech. — 
Shocking Brutalities. — Fletcher's Character on Trial. — Livingston criticised 
by Fletcher. — De Peyster's New House. — De Peyster's Descendants. — Mil- 
ler's Description of New York. — Dominie Selyns's Piracy. — Mrs. Fletcher 
and her Daughters. — Captain Kidd. — The Expedition against Piracy. — Kidd 
the Prince of Pirates. — The Repeal of Bolting and Baking Acts. — First 
Opening of Nassau Steeet. — The first Lighting of the < Iity. — The first Night- 
Watch. — The Earl of Bellomont. — Bellomont's Reforms. — Bellomont's Col- 
lision with the Merchants. — The Acts of Trade. — The Peace of Ryswick. — 
The Landed Estates attacked. — James Graham. — Dominie Dellius. — Bello- 
mont's Mortifications. — The Dutch Church. — Bellomont in Boston. — The 
Board of Trade. — Deaths of Graham, Van Cortlandt, and Bellomont. 

ABRAHAM DE PEYSTER was appointed mayor of the city. 
Although he had attached himself to Leisler in the early part of 
the Revolution, he had been involved in none of the later indiscre- 
i69i. tions, and it was predicted that he would be a most effective 
October. a g enc j n lne wav f restoring public tranquillity. He was a 
native of the city, interested in its growth and prosperity, and knew the 
temper of its people. He was also personally popular. He was about 
thirty-four years of age, with a frank, winning face, fine presence, and 
great polish and elegance of manners. His character was irreproachable, 
and his political judgment sound. He had married about seven years 
before, while on a visit to Holland, his cousin Catharine De Peyster. 
His father, Johannes De Peyster, had some time since died, but his 



EFFECTS OF THE REVOLUTION. oM 

mother was living in the old homestead. His three brothers, Isaac, Jo- 
hannes, and Cornells, each acquired a large estate for the period, and each 
rilled from time to time responsible positions in the city government. 
Isaac was a member of the Assembly for several years. Johannes, who 




Portrait of Col. Abrahain De Peyster. 

(From original painting in possession of Hon. Frederic de Peyster, President of New York 
Historical Society.) 

was reputed the handsomest man of his day, was mayor of the city in 
1698-99, and was succeeded by David Provoost, who was the husband 
of their only sister Maria. This lady's daughter by a former husband 
became the wife of the celebrated James Alexander, and mother of Lord 
Stirling. 

When De Peyster first robed himself in the mayor's gown and entered 
upon his judicial duties, he was harassed as few mayors have ever been 
either before or since his time. The Eevolution had disturbed even' man's 
private affairs. Property had been seized for taxes, neighbors were suing 
each other for debts and damages, and insubordination against the city 
laws was of daily occurrence. The virulence with which men complained 
of each other indicated the wells of bitterness beneath the surface of soci- 
ety, and foreshadowed the coming storms in the political horizon. A story 
was circulated that Leisler had never paid the soldiers whom he had 
taken upon himself to raise. This De Peyster promptly denied, as he had 



400 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

personal knowledge of its falsity. To say Leisler was dishonest in pecu- 
niary matters was simply monstrous, for he had expended large sums of 
his own money to keep the government from bankruptcy. De Peyster did 
uot hold Leisler blameless ; he had eschewed all connection with the 
man as soon as he found him unpersuadable and infatuated beyond rea- 
son and justice (according to his private opinion), but he was lenient 
towards him in his heart, and thought he had been harshly treated 
at the last. 

Two hostile factions were each trying to maintain untenable grounds, 
and each trying to hoodwink aud overreach the other. The anti-revolu- 
tionists were dominant, and manifested a constant disposition to retaliate 
upon all such as had supported Leisler. The Act of the Assembly prom- 
ising pardon to every one not under actual sentence of death was coldly 
received. The families and friends of the six condemned prisoners were 
making herculean efforts for their release, and the sufferers were full of 
concessions and promises. But both parties were smarting from wounds 
for which there was no healing balm, and which were to culminate finally 
in great incurable ulcers. 

De Peyster projected city improvements with a lavish hand. He do- 
nated a tract of land at " Smits Vlye " to the corporation, and presently 
an act was published for the sale of a few of the lots, on condition that 
the buyers help build wharves that were very much needed ; one front- 
ing King Street, thirty feet wide, and one on either side of Mrs. Van 
Clyffe's slip, of about the same dimensions. The site of the old Fly Mar- 
ket was a part of this donation. A few years later De Peyster presented 
to the corporation the site of the old City Hall where Washington was 
inaugurated. 

In December the subject of building a new Dutch church was 
" again agitated. There were a number of families who objected to 
worshiping in the one in the fort, in any event, and, besides, that edifice was 
getting old, and it was much too small. A lot in the midst of^a beautiful 
and highly cultivated garden belonging to Mrs. Dominie Drisius was deemed 
sufficiently up-town. It fronted on a picturesque little lane called " Gar- 
den Alley," which in course of time and progress became Garden Street, 
and is now Exchange Place. The work was pushed forward at once, and 
the building completed in 1693. The style of it was an oblong square, 
with three sides of an octagon on the east side. It had a brick steeple in 
front, resting on a large square foundation, which admitted room above 
the entry for an apartment in which the consistory could hold their meet- 
ings. The windows were small panes of glass set in lead, and burnt cu- 
riously into the glass were the coats-of-arms of the chief families who 



THE GARDEN STREET CHURCH. 401 

constituted the church and congregation. There were also from time to 
time, subsequently, many painted coats-of-arms hung upon the walls. 
The pulpit, bell, and several escutcheons were from the church in the fort. 
' This bell was placed in a church erected in f 807 on the spot where the 




Portrait of Mrs. Col- Abraham De Peyster. 

(From original painting in possession of Hon. Frederic de Peyster, President of New York 

Historical Society.) 

Garden Street Church stood. Some thought the bell too small, but Judge 
Benson, who was one of the elders at the time, said the bell was the first 
ever brought to the city, and that its silver tones had been the delight of 
the native Indians. For its antiquity, if for no other reason, it ought not 
to be substituted for modern castings. It consequently remained in its 
place, and shared the fate of the church in the great fire of 1835. A 
silver baptismal basin was procured in 1694, on which was engraved a 
sentence written by Dominie Selyns, indicating the significance of the 
baptismal rites. The basin cost " twenty silver ducats"; it is a curious 
relic, preserved and in use in Dr. Rogers's church on Fifth Avenue, corner 
of Twenty-First Street, in which the corporate title of the first Dutch 
church in New York is handed along. 

The corporation assumed to own the land under water, and in order to 
fill in the shore along the East River lots were sold all the way 
from the City Hall to Fulton Street ; hence the origin of Water 
Street. These lots were chiefly purchased by merchants, who paid an 
average price of twenty dollars each ; one of the terms of purchase re- 



402 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

quired the buyer to cover the entire front of his lot with a building of 
brick or stone not less than two stories high. It was during this year 
(1692) that Pine, Cedar, and the neighboring streets were laid out through 
the old " 1 (amen Farm " which was bounded north by Maiden Lane. The 
" Damen Farm " is described among the deeds as " Clover Wayters," — 
Clover Pastures. Maiden Lane was called " Maagde paetje" — Virgin's 
Path — from the fact that it was a resort for washerwomen, because 
of a little stream of spring water which ran through the valley at that 
point. 

The investigation of patents caused an endless amount of wrangling. 
An interesting question came up as to the ownership of the vacant space 
in Hanover Square. It was found to be covered by a title of Govert 
Loockermans, and was claimed by his hens. The claimants determined 
to build there, and as such a proceeding would shut off the fine water-view 
from a number of handsome dwellings in the neighborhood, great efforts 
were put forth to keep the property out of their hands. Johannes Van 
Brugh, who lived on the north side of the square, was one of the witnesses 
for the city in the suit. He remembered the spot to have been in com- 
mon for forty-six years, and his wife, who was a daughter of Dominie Bo- 
gardus, remembered as far back as 1637. 

It was through the suggestion of Mayor De Peyster that the city first 
assumed the support of public paupers. Each alderman was ordered to 
make a return of the poor in his ward. A poor-house was not then 
provided, but the paupers were recommended as objects of charity, and 
granted a small pittance of the public money. About the same time 
the corporation erected in front of the City Hall, on the river shore, a 
pillory, cage, whipping-post, and ducking-stool, as a perpetual terror to 
evil-doers. Vagrants, thieves, slanderers and truant-children were to be 
there exposed for public show, or to receive such chastisement as their 
offenses warranted. The ducking-stool was for the special punishment of 
excess or freedom of speech. It was a purely English invention. It had 
been used for a long period throughout the British Empire. This was the 
first introduction of it into New York. Its need must have been startlingly 
apparent twenty-two years before, when the Lutheran minister, having 
been prosecuted for striking a woman, pleaded in defense that she, pro- 
voked him, to it by scolding. 

Street-cleaning was one of the subjects of city legislation this year. A 
law was passed requiring every householder to keep the street clean 
in front of his own door ; and another requiring the street surveyor to 
cause all " stramonium and other poisonous weeds rooted up within the 
city." 



CONDITION OF THE PROVINCE. 403 

If the affairs of the province had been as ably managed as those of the 
city, it would have been fortunate. But Ingoldsby was illogical, inexact, 
and blundering. He was brave in war, and had some talent for adminis- 
tration, but he did not know his own mind. His interest was to stand 
well with the council, and his irritable and imperious nature was con- 
stantly impelling him to quarrel with them. His spleen was excited one 
day by a dry answer from Van Cortlandt; the next, by a suggestion from 
some other of the gentlemen. He kept actively at work, but accom- 
plished little or nothing. The French worried the government into a. 
continual state of unrest. The funds were wanting to satisfy tin- grum- 
bling demands of the colonists for protection. It was finally determined 
to make another appeal to the king. 

Matthew Clarkson drew up an address, which was signed by Ingolds- 
by, Philipse, Van Cortlandt, Bayard, Minvielle, Nicolls, and Pinhorne, 
setting forth the necessities of New York with great precision, and im- 
ploring supplies to carry on the war. It contained a carefully worded 
picture of the condition of the province, and of its sources of income, and 
argued the advantage of adding to it Connecticut, New Jersey, and Penn- 
sylvania, in order to give it strength to defend itself. It was such a. 
document as could not be passed by with inattention. It said, " The 
middle of Long Island is altogether barren. The west end is chiefly 
employed in tillage and supplies the traffic of New York. The east end 
is settled by New England people, and their improvements are mostly in 
pasturage and whaling. Despite our strict laws their industry is often 
carried to Boston. Esopus has about three thousand acres of manurable 
land, all the rest being hills and mountains not possible to be cultivated. 
The chief dependence of Albany is the traffic of the Indians. New York 
City is situated upon a barren island, with nothing to support it but trade 
which comes chiefly from bread and flour sent to the West Indies. All 
the rest of the province except Westchester, Staten Island, and Martha's 
Vineyard, consists of barren mountains not improvable by human in- 
dustry." It was read by King William ; it was read by Queen Mary ; 
it was read by the Privy Council. 

The result was the appointment of a governor for New York with broad 
instructions. The choice fell upon Colonel Benjamin Fletcher, a soldier 
of fortune, and an energetic officer. He was made thoroughly acquainted 
with the distresses of his government, and before saibng solicited pre- 
sents for the Indians, warlike stores, and two additional companies of 
soldiers. It was all granted with an alacrity equal to the importance 
of his requests. In order to restore that internal peace which the 
inconsiderate folly of Leisler had destroyed, a general pardon was granted, 



404 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

and all prosecutions growing out of the late disorders prudently dis- 
charged. 

The frigate which hore him to New York was to remain for the pro- 
tection of its coasts. He arrived August 29, and was cordially 
welcomed. His commission was formally published the next 
' morning. The same counselors were continued, with the addition 
of Peter Schuyler and Eichard Townley, and they all took the customary 
oaths. Dudley, however, was still absent, and Colonel William Smith 
was appointed chief justice in his place. Fletcher was ordered to require 
all the English colonies to furnish their quota of men and money for the 
general defense ; but he was never able to enforce such an order, and all 
his authority outside of~New York was openly disputed, giving him re- 
peated and unnecessary mortifications. 

The city corporation tendered the new chief magistrate a dinner, which 
cost £ 20. Mayor De Peyster presided, and made a happily worded 
speech on the occasion. He requested Fletcher to use his influence with 
the king to obtain a confirmation of the city charter, and a continuation 
of the bolting and baking monopoly, which had become of" great value 
to New York. Vigorous efforts were being made in the inland towns to 
break it up, and although various laws had been passed to prevent its 
infringement, the mayor and aldermen were apprehensive of its ultimate 
destruction. A few days later the corporation addressed a letter to 
Fletcher on the same subject, and with great earnestness entreated 
him "to take the afflicted city into favorable consideration, and be 
come its benefactor by saving it the monopoly without which it must 
perish." 

Governor Fletcher was a stout, florid man, of easy address, showy and 
pretentious. He rolled through the streets in a carriage drawn by .six 
horses. His wife and daughters were stylish ladies, who followed the 
latest European fashions. His servants wore handsome livery and were 
well drilled. He was fond of society, and never happier than when per- 
forming acts of hospitality. He was a great lover of high living and 
drank wine daily, but not to excess. It was a common practice during 
his administration for politicians and gentlemen concerned with him in 
the government, to drop in at their own convenience, without formal in- 
vitation, and dine at his well-filled table. He was not a man of exten- 
sive learning, but his mind was largely stocked with ideas, the result of 
acute observation. He talked rapidly and to the point, and his argu- 
ments always earned weight. He had a hot, hasty temper, but it was 
combined with so much decision of character that it only fitted him the 
more perfectly for a military commander, in which capacity he was sue- 



GOVERNOR FLETCHER. 405 

cesst'ul ; there was, however, about him an arrogance not so well adapted 
to the chair of state. He stumbled into errors and extravagances, and 
raised up against himself powerful foes. He was devoutly religious, and 
had the bell rung twice every day for prayers in his household. He 
exerted himself to found churches, and to pave the way for the extension 
of the gospel. With his rule commenced a distinct era in the civil and 
religious history of New York. 

From the day of his arrival he was never idle, and to all outward ap- 
pearances seldom weary. His first work was to study into the affairs 
of the Indians. They must not be allowed to go over to the French. 
He repaired to Albany and placed himself under the tuition of Mayor 
Schuyler. He was for weeks a guest in the Schuyler mansion. He made 
a trip with Schuyler into the Mohawk country, and was entertained 
by the warriors in their famous castles. He pried into the character, 
habits, and strength of these natives of the wilderness. He even learned 
somewhat of their language. In his subsequent transactions with them 
his success was so marked that it was spoken of as his distinguishing 
excellence by those who would not give him credit for any other good 
thing. 

Much was due to his instructor. Schuyler enjoyed the well-earned 
reputation in Europe as well as America of being the most consummate 
diplomat of his time. He had secured the undying friendship of the 
Iroquois, and his advice and suggestions carried with them the power 
of law. Colden says that he was "only a country farmer, wbo had on 
some occasions given proof of courage, but that he was in no way distin- 
guished by abilities either natural or acquired." 1 The records show, 
nevertheless, that lie possessed a depth of understanding that was always 
in advance of Indian instinct and treachery, with no inconsiderable fund 
of strength in reserve. And his exhibition of military skill on every 
occasion where there was a clash of arms seems fully to have justified 
the Indian sobriquet of the " Great Brave White Chief." 

Fletcher placed Ingoldsby in command of the soldiers at Albany. 
Upon his return to New York he was waited upon by Mayor De 
Peyster and the aldermen of the city, and presented with a gold cup 
which cost the corporation £ 100. Such presentations were then very 
much in vogue among all corporate bodies in Europe. 

Presently news reached Fletcher that the vigorous old Count 
Frontenac had started from Montreal with an army of six or seven 
hundred French and Indians, supplied with everything necessary for a win- 
ter's campaign, intending to descend upon the Five Nations. New York 
» Cadwallader Colden s Letters to Ins Son. X. Y. Hist. Soc. Coll. (1868). 



406 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

was alarmingly insecure, and the governor and the mayor went unitedly 
into the work of fortifications. One cold snowy winter evening 

Feb. 12. , i , , t ™ , , b 

about ten o clock an express reached Fletcher to the effect that 
the French were righting the Iroquois in the neighborhood of Schenec- 
tady, and that Schuyler had started with a small force from Albany to 
the relief of the allied Indians. Drums at once beat for volunteers, and 
within forty-eight hours Fletcher with three hundred men was en route 
for the scene of warfare. He reached Schenectady on the 17th, 
and found that the French had been defeated and driven towards 
Canada with serious loss. They were pursued until their pursuers were 
so distressed for provisions that they fed upon the dead bodies of the 
enemy. The French were reduced to that degree of starvation before 
they got home that they ate their shoes. 

The governor's promptness and the extraordinary circumstance of free 
navigation of the Hudson Kiver in the month of February caused the 
Indians to regard him as a wonderful warrior, and they gave him the 
name of " Cayenguirago," — the Great Swift Arrow. The Indians had 
lost their castles and suffered severely. Fletcher did what he could to 
comfort them, assisted them to build wigwams, and furnished them with 
provisions. The sachems told him that the English did not provide them 
with warlike stores as the French did their Indian friends, and that they 
coidd not continue the war unless they were better sustained. They said, 
too, that if all the colonies would join in good earnest Canada might be 
reduced. 

Fletcher returned to New York, leaving the frontiers distracted and 
comparatively defenseless. The Assembly soon after convened, and voted 
him the thanks of the House for his energetic proceedings. The defense 
of the province, which might be so easily invaded, was the first and most 
important subject for discussion. Six hundred pounds for one year's pay 
of three hundred volunteers was granted. Then Fletcher called attention 
to the establishment of the Church of England, according to the king's 
orders. The indifference of the House in regard to what he had said on 
a former occasion angered him, and he remarked with much asperity : 
" Gentlemen, the first thing I recommended to you at our last meeting was 
to provide for a ministry, and nothing is yet done. You- are all big with 
the privileges of Englishmen and Magna Charta, which is your right, and 
the same law provides for the religion of the Church of England. As 
you have postponed it this session, I trust you will take hold of it at the 
next meeting and do something toward it effectually." 

The two factions which had derived their existence from the Revolution 
woidd not agree upon anything. Whenever Fletcher attempted to recon- 



FLETCHER'S DIFFICULTIES. 



407 



cile feuds, lie found neither adversary inclined to be content with less 
than the other's neck. He was, indeed, as he expressed himself, ruler 
over " a divided, contentious, and impoverished people." And things grew 
worse ins t e a d of be 1 1 e r. 
Some of bis counselors, hav- 
ing suffered unjustly them- 
selves, relentlessly persecuted 
those who had wronged them 
under the authority of Leis- 
ter's commissions. The Leis- 
Ierians, on the other hand, ac- 
cused the governor of being 
the tool of the aristocrats, 
and took exception to all his 
measures. Jacob Leisler, Jr., 
was now at the court of Wil- 
liam and Mary, directing all 
his energies to the task of re- 
moving the stain of treason 
from his father's memory. 
Ee was aided by the depos- 
itions of many persons in 
New York, and his mother 
and six sisters were sending 

petition after petition to the queen. It occasioned continual commotion. 
The six prisoners in the fort, under sentence of death, appealed to Fletcher, 
immediately upon his arrival, for release from their " miserable confine- 
ment." He sent for Dr. Gerardus Beekman and Abraham Gouverneur to 
come before him in the City Hall, and, in the presence of Mayor De 
Peyster, told them that they had petitioned him separate from his council ; 
that, even if the latter were their enemies, since he must rule the country 
in connection with them, they must address a petition in a suitable man- 
ner, before he could take any steps for their benefit. It was accordingly 
done. Then each of the prisoners was set at liberty, after giving bonds 
that he would not leave the province. Abraham Gouverneur quickly 
took advantage of his freedom, and escaped in a fishing-boat to Boston. 
Sir William Phipps, who had recently been made governor of Massachu- 
setts, promised to take care of him and assist him in going to England. 
Phipps told Gouverneur that Fletcher was a " poor beggar," who only 
sought money and not the good of the country, and that the " old King 
James's Council" at New York spoiled every good thing, and must be got 




Garden Street Dutch Church, built in 1693. 



408 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

out of the way. Phipps's counselors talked in a similar strain to Gouver- 
neur, who wrote an account of it to his parents, with a request that his 
letter might be shown to Dr. Beekman and Mrs. Leisler. 

All at once Fletcher heard that there had been meetings, violent 
speeches, serious reflections upon some members of his councd, and fresh 
demands of reparation for Leisler's blood. While he was wondering what 
had started such a storm, and just as he was flattering himself that he 
had somewhat abated the foaming of the waters, the letter of Gouverneur 
by a singular accident fell into his hands. Ah ! it was Boston, tbe neigh- 
bor who, in the enjoyment of the tranquility of peace, disregarded the cries 
for help when New York was overawed by a murderous enemy, — it was 
Boston at the bellows, trying to fan the embers of former discontents. 
Fletcher wrote to Phipps, and demanded the surrender of Gouverneur, 
which was haughtily denied, and the latter soon joined young Leisler in 
London. 

Fletcher's endeavor to establish a ministry was seconded with great 
zeal by Caleb Heathcote, who was appointed to the governor's council in 
tbe spring of 1693. He had been in New York but a few months, but 
his uncle Captain George Heathcote had been a property owner in the 
city for seventeen or more years. The uncle died a bachelor, and Caleb 
was his heir by will. The latter was a young man of promise, and his 
unusual talents brought him into immediate notice. He was the son 
of the mayor of Chester in Eugland, and brother to Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 
the founder and first president of the bank of England, and Lord Mayor 
of London. 

There was a curious romance in which these brothers were concerned. 
Caleb was engaged to be married to a lady of great beauty, and in the 
full pride of conquest took his elder brother to see his betrothed. GUbert 
was not only struck with admiration, but actually fell in love with the 
lady himself. What is more, he finally supplanted Caleb in her affec- 
tions and married her. The disappointed lover sailed for America, and 
was soon immersed in business both public and private. Succeeding to 
the estate of his uncle, who had large shipping interests, he found little 
time for heart-breaking regrets. Society was also a cordial balm for his 
slowly healing wound, for no one in those days who saw a gentleman 
could mistake his social position, and he was consequently received into 
the little circle which gathered around the governor with all the state 
and ceremony of a court. It was not long before he became a favorite 
guest in the house of Chief Justice William Smith, " Tangier Smith " as 
he was called from having been governor of Tangier before he came to 
New York. The chief center of attraction was Miss Martha Smitb, that 



A CURIOUS ROMANCE. 409 

gentleman's daughter, and ere many months a gay wedding at St. 
George's manor furnished society gossip for a season. Heathcote built 
a manor-house on his extensive lands near Mamaroneck (which were 
erected into a manor in 1701), and was lord of the manor of Scarsdale to 
the end of a long and eventful life. At his death the title as well as the 
estate descended to his son Gilbert. He had other children, among whom 
a large legacy from his brother William was divided. His eldest daugh- 
ter, Ann, married Lieutenant-Governor James De Laucey. His third 
daughter, Martha, married Dr. James Johnson of Perth Amboy, who was 
the friend and correspondent of Gronovius, and who succeeded Heath- 
cote as mayor of New York 

In July word came to Fletcher that the French were offering presents 
to the Iroquois, who had suffered terribly from the war while they 
had received no material aid from the colonies which they had 
defended. The defection of these brave allies would be the nun of New- 
York. The governor hurried to Albany, and summoned the sachems to an 
interview. He made them large gifts of clothing, hatchets, knives, and 
ammunition. They were apparently pleased, and gave him furs as a trib- 
ute of esteem. But they delivered no belt of wampum as a token of sincer- 
ity, and although they promised to remain steadfast and loyal, they left 
behind them a feeling of insecurity. Fletcher wrote to the king that the 
warriors accused the neighboring English colonies of cowardice and lazi- 
ness, and were extremely dissatisfied that they were involved alone in 
such bloody warfare. " And should we lose the affections of our Indian 
friends," he continued, " we should be instantly steeped in blood our- 
selves." 

A new Assembly convened in September, and James Graham was 
elected speaker. Fletcher recommended two chief objects to the 

- . J Sept. 14. 

consideration of the House. One was the settling of a ministry, 
the other was the establishment of the revenue during the life of the king. 
Business progressed slowly, for there was much coldness and back- 
wardness among the members. Fletcher sent a messenger on the ep ' 
20th to remind the House of the value of time and the great expense of 
the session to the country. Shortly after, Jacobus Van Cortlandt pre- 
sented the bill of the revenue, which was read for the first time. In the 
afternoon a committee from the House met a committee from the council 
at Stephanus Van Cortlandt's residence, where the bill was discussed at 
great length. The counselors were all for settling the revenue upon the 
king for life. The Assemblymen present, among whom were Jacobus 
Van Cortlandt, Johannes Kip, and Colonel Pierson, w T ere firmly in favor 
of continuing it only for five years. An amendment warmly sustained 



410 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

by the counselors was voted down by the Assemblymen, and it passed 
the House in its original form. 

The next day a bill for the establishment of a ministry, which gave 
the election of rectors to the vestry-men and church-wardens, was trans- 
mitted to the council. It was returned with an amendment investing 
the power of collation in the governor. The Assembly refused to assent 
to an alteration which deducted so much weight from the scale of popular 
power. The bill became a law, and it was couched in such language as 
led the Church of England to think it was enacted for her establishment 
alone, and gave room for the dissenters to contend that it was passed 
equally for their benefit. Fletcher was so exasperated that he summoned 
the House before him and broke up the session in high temper. He 
said : — 

" You have shown a great deal of stiffness. You take upon you airs as if you 
were dictators. I sent down to you an amendment of three or four words in 
that bill, winch, though very immaterial, yet was positively denied. I must tell 
you that it seems very unmannerly. There never was an amendment yet de- 
cided by the council but what you rejected ; it is a sign of stubborn ill-temper. 
But, gentlemen, I must take leave to tell you, if you seem to understand by 
these words that none can serve without your collation or establishment, you are 
mistaken ; for 1 have the power of collating or suspending any minister in my 
government by their Majesties' letters patent. Whilst I stay in the government 
I will take care that neither heresy, sedition, schism, nor rebellion be preached 
among you, nor vice nor profanity encouraged. It is my endeavor to lead a vir- 
tuous and pious life and to set a good example. I wish you all to do the same. 
You ought to consider that you have but a third share in the legislative power 
of the government, and ought not to take all upon you, nor be so peremptory. 
You ought to let the council do their part. They are in the nature of the House 
of Lords or Upper House. But you seem to take the whole power into your own 
hands and set up for everything. You have had a very long session to little 
purpose and have been a great charge to the country. Ten shillings a day is a 
large allowance and you punctually exact it. You have been always forward 
enough to put down the fees of other ministers in the government ; why did you 
not think it expedient to correct your own to a more moderate allowance ? Gen- 
tlemen, I shall say no more at present, but that you do withdraw to your private 
affairs in the country. You are hereby prorogued to the tenth day of January 
next, ensuing." l 

At this time the Assembly had no treasurer, and the public money went 
directly into the hands of the receiver-general, who was appointed by the 

1 Journal of the Legislative Council of New York, Vol. I. 47, 48. Chalmers. Smith. 
Barwroft. Dunlap. 






SIX WILLIAM I'llU'l'S. 411 

Crown. It was issuable only by the governor's warrant, hence every 
officer from the auditor to the clerk of the Assembly must apply to 
Fletcher for their pay. 

New York was afflicted with all the pressures which never fail to over- 
whelm any country whose resources are not equal to its enterprises. Be- 
sides, she was struggling alone against the common danger. Fletcher's 
letters to the king finally led the latter to scud mandatory letters to the 
other colonies, ordering them to assist New York in the prosecution of the 
war. For greater union he sent a commission to Fletcher to govern Penn- 
sylvania, which Penn had neglected since the Revolution. By the same 
vessel came a letter to Fletcher from Penn himself, admonishing him " to 
tread softly and with caution," as that territory and its government was 
his own private property. Fletcher made a journey to Pennsylvania, and 
spent some six weeks in tkj province ; but the Quakers had been instruct- 
ed how to evade his authority, and, finding he could accomplish nothing, 
he left the government to Lieutenant -Governor Markham, and wrote to 
William that the trust conferred upon him was "only a trouble," and, so 
far from adding strength to New York, his absence increased her embar- 
rassments. 

It was during his brief stay in Pennsylvania that he presided at the 
trial of William Bradford, the printer, who, having been arrested and ar- 
raigned before two Quaker judges for having printed a pamphlet for the 
political party out of power without permission of the- administration, had 
appealed to the highest tribunal in the province. He was triumphantly 
acquitted, and Fletcher, becoming greatly interested in him personally, 
and desirous of introducing the art of printing into New York, invited 
him to come to the metropolis and print for the government at a stated 
salary. Bradford accepted the call, and took up bis permanent abode in 
New York. 

Sir William Phipps had been commissioned to govern all New England, 
but his jurisdiction over the military of Connecticut was revoked and 
transferred to Fletcher. The latter went to Hartford to assume author- 
ity. He remained there twenty days, and tried in vain to prove the inhe- 
rent right of the Crown to control all matters appertaining to the militia. 
The General Court was intrenched behind the charter, and finally sent 
Winthrop to England for redress ; the latter so pleaded his cause at court 
that the Crown lawyers decided in favor of the Connecticut charter, and 
that the king had only the right to appoint the quota to be furnished in 
times of great emergency. Fletcher's commission was consequently re- 
voked. 

Fletcher next sent Mavor Tie Peyster ami Counselor P.i ke to Boston 



412 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

to negotiate with Governor Phipps for assistance. He received them un- 
graciously. When they stated their errand, and told him of the weak 
condition of New York, the great depopulation it had suffered in the de- 
fense of the frontiers, the wavering temper of the Indians, and the ruin- 
ous taxes repeated and repeated upon the people until they were weary 
and disheartened, and asked for a proper quota from Massachusetts pur- 
suant to the king's instructions, Phipps seemed disposed to answer them 
in the same way that he reproved his servants, by throwing a chair at 
their heads. He swore he would not furnish a man nor a farthing. 
They told him that the governors of the different colonies were going to 
send commissioners to New York in October to confer on the subject, 
but he sharply interrupted them by declaring that none should come from 
him. Some of Phipps's counselors were present, and seemed heartily 
ashamed of his behavior. They apologized, aside, and hoped that De 
Peyster and Brooke would blame his education for what they had seen 
and heard. "His Excellency is needlessly hot," said Brooke. "Ah! you 
must pardon him ; it is dog-days," was the reply. 
1694. Iu the spring a new Assembly was elected. When they con- 
March. V ened Colonel Pierson was chosen speaker. There was so much 
disagreement among the members about the amount of taxes to be levied 
upon the already overburdened people, that Fletcher became uneasy lest 
the gallant Iroquois should make a separate treaty with the French before 
he could furnish them the aid he had promised. Finally a dispute arose 
about the number of men necessary to guard the frontiers. Fletcher, 
worried out of all patience, testily informed the House that he was a 
competent judge of such matters, and if they would provide a subsidy, he 
would head the militia any moment when necessary. " Time runs away," 
he exclaimed. " You have now sat twenty days, and little or nothing is 
done. It were much more pleasant if business went on cheerfully at 
once." A bill was finally passed to raise a small sum, but it was insuffi- 
cient. The House demanded an examination of the public accounts, par- 
ticularly the muster-rolls of the volunteers in the pay of the province, 
the members who were of the Leislerian faction having accused Fletcher 
and his council of official stealing. It was granted; but the malicious 
warfare of words did not cease. The session was adjourned on the 26th 
of March to meet again on the 25th of September. 

During the summer the little printing-press of William Bradford 
created quite a sensation in New York. He was among other things em- 
ployed in printing the Corporation laws. The young printer was one of 
the most industrious of men, and was constantly issuing something novel, 
and from its rarity and freshness of course interesting to people who had 



ROBERT LIVINGSTON IN ENGLAND. 413 

hitherto been obliged to obtain all printed matter from a distance. His 
first issue was a small folio volume. The second was a 24mo of fifty-one 
pages, entitled "A letter of advice to a young gentleman leaving 
the University, concerning his conversation and behavior in the 
world ; by R. L. A." A copy of this antique work was sold at an auction 
sale of E. B. ( lorwin, a few years since, for the small sum of % 12.50 ! 

Robert Livingston was in England the greater part of this year. He 
sailed in the early spring, and his vessel was .shipwrecked upon the coast 
of Portugal. He hail no alternative but to undertake the hazardous jour- 
ney through Spain and France by land He was about sixty yeai ol 
age at the time, but in the full possession of all his remarkable gifts of 
intellect, and scarcely less reckless than in his adventurous youth. He 
accomplished the feat of getting through an enemy's country in safety, 
and in commemoration of the event altered the Livingston coat-of-arms 
from a demi-savage to a ship in distress, and changed the motto "Si je 
Puis " — If I am able, — to " Spero Meliora " — I hope for better things. 
He was cordially received by the lords at Whitehall. 

He was surprised to learn that an order had passed the Privy Council 
for the pardon of the " condemned six " in New York, and that their 
estates had been restored to them ! He was still more surprised to meet 
Abraham Gouverneur in the antechamber of the king! But when he 
met young Leisler at the dinner-table of the Earl of Bellomont his feel- 
ings underwent a change, and he entered with characteristic warmth into 
the iron purpose of the young man to secure complete restitution of blood 
as well as property; and he, moreover, aided the latter to the extent of 
his influence, which was not inconsiderable. William having been suc- 
cessfully petitioned for leave to apply to Parliament. Constantine Phipps 
(one of the Massachusetts agents framed a bill to reverse the attainder 
of Leisler and his adherents, and Sir William Ashurst sat as chairman 
of the committee to whom it was referred. Dudley was present, and 
opposed it with all his strength, and the whole court regarded it with 
disfavor. It nevertheless passed into a law in April, 1695. Massachu- 
setts was triumphant, as it was supposed to contain a Parliamentary 
recognition of the rectitude of her violent proceedings. As for New 
York, this implied censure upon her administration engendered and con- 
tinued civil distractions until it seemed as if she would be rent in sunder. 
Gouverneur returned and became one of the ablest and must persistent 
leaders of the Leislerian party In 1699 lie married Mary Leisler, the 
widow of Jacob Milborne. One of his daughters was the mother of the 
distinguished Gouverneur Morris. 

Meanwhile September came and the Assembly dice more convened 



414 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Fletcher presented a detailed account of his transactions with the Indians, 
and explained to the House the ill effects of their late policy in 
abating fourpeuce per day from the soldiers' pay. These poorly 
compensated men had been running away in troops of seven at a time. 
Eightpence could hardly provide food and shoes. Men could not he 
found to serve for such a paltry sum. Fletcher said he knew how to 
exercise strict discipline, but it went against his nature to put men to 
death for desertion when they were starving and freezing, and it was 
impossible for them to do duty barefoot on the frontiers in the winter. 
The New York soldiers were the more discouraged because those from 
New Jersey received their full twelvepence per day. 

He also pressed attention to the disagreeable duty of raising more 
money for forts, ammunition, and stores. But the Leislerians in the 
House were growing bolder every day. They were determined to crucify 
the men who surrounded and supported Fletcher. They expressed dis- 
satisfaction with the disposition of the revenue. The books were again 
laid open for their inspection. They had no intention of being molli- 
fied, and picked flaws with many of the charges and disbursements, not- 
withstanding they were aware as well as others, that in time of actual 
war there will unavoidably be great and unexpected charges, indispen- 
sable to the welfare and safety of a country. Fletcher had, as soon as 
he found there was no prospect of help from the colonies (except New 
Jersey) applied himself to the work of obtaining recruits from England, 
and had so far succeeded that four hundred soldiers, as a standing force, 
about this time arrived. But they must be supported. While eight- 
pence per day would enable an English soldier to live better in Eng- 
land, as far as meat and clothing were concerned, than twice that sum 
in New York, the Assembly were unwilling to grant any additional 
pay. Fletcher argued that they could not be kept together on that 
amount of money ; they would soon have no means to buy shoes, stock- 
ings, and shirts. The dispute became very bitter. Fletcher accused the 
House of ingratitude, after all his efforts to secure the troops. The House 
muttered about the misapplication of the revenue. He finally prorogued 
them until the following March. 

When they then came together the wrangle was renewed with 

vigor. The House asked for an adjournment until the muster- 
March 21. ' 

rolls could be inspected. Fletcher refused, on the ground that the 

request was improper, and he demanded the immediate raising of funds 

for the subsistence and pay of the officers and men in the service of the 

province. A bill was framed to raise £1000, to secure the frontier for 

six months. It was pronounced insufficient by Fletcher, and rejected. 



GOVERNOR FLETCHER'S SPEECH. 415 

A committee from the governor's council met a committee from the As- 
sembly, and placed the accounts of the province before them in order to 
show that a fraction over £ 1023 was at that moment actually due to the 
forces at Albany. The committee from the Assembly refused to look at 
these papers. They asserted that there was a surplus of funds some- 
where, and demanded the balance of accounts, not the accounts them- 
selves. They said they believed there was a voucher for every dollar 
which had passed the council-board, but would not credit the council. 
If Fletcher appointed more officers than the House made provision for, 
or detained the men longer in service, he must pay it himself. The com- 
mittee from the council explained that the men were detained longer in 
the service on account of the delay in the arrival of the soldiers from 
England, and the intelligence that the enemy were marching towards 
Albany: there was also daily occasion to send out men to range the 
woods and defend isolated farms. Who so competent to judge in such 
matters as the commander-in-chief? The men had done their work, and 
now they must be paid. The next day there was another meeting 
of the two committees. The council were represented by Ste- p 
phanus Van Cortlandt, Chief Justice Smith, and Caleb Heathcote. Peter 
De Lanoy was at the head of the committee from the Assembly. The 
council tendered the House the muster-rolls ; they had before given the 
abstracts, they now put the original papers into the hands of De Lanoy, 
and desired him to compare it with the abstract in the presence of and 
for the satisfaction of every member of the Assembly. De Lanoy de- 
clined, saying, "There is no need of it." 

But when the Assembly again voted, it was to raise only the £ 1,000 
Fletcher was in a very trying position. He sent for the speaker 
and the whole Assembly, and in the council-chamber earnestly P 
entreated them to "leave fruitless and causeless contention and jangling, 
which was a stagnation upon all business, and regard only the good and 
safety of the province." The counselors took the opportunity to acknowl- 
edge themselves witnesses of the governor's integrity, and expressed their 
unanimous belief that it was his sincere desire to promote the besl inter- 
ests oi the people. It was to no purpose ; suspicion had taken deep 
root, and the House would not recede from its position. The fol- 
lowing morning the governor prorogued the Assembly lor ten days He 
said: — 

"You have spent a long time at the expense of the country for no purpose. 
The supply you give is no supply at all. If a man gives me £ 1000, and 

obliges me to pay £ 10,000, he gives me nothing I am as sensible of the 

burden of detachments as you can lie and have done much mere to lighten it. 



41 G HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

It is an oppression that falls wholly upon the poor. The most of you are shel- 
tered by commissions, as justices of the peace or militia officers ; but you know 
that you must contribute some proportion to the taxes. The gentlemen who 
are of my council are riveted among you here. They have fixed down their 
stakes and have as much interest in the country as yourselves. Yea, more than 
all of you. They are as unwilling to bring a yoke upon their posterity as you 
are. I can name two of them who pay more taxes in one year than all of you 
pay. It seems strange that you will put no trust in them, and make doubts and 
scruples where there is no ground for it, in things which you yourselves confess 
you do not understand. There 's never a man amongst you, except Peter De 
Lanoy, who pretends to understand an account. There is not one farthin°- of 
public money disbursed but 1 y advice of the council, and there are good vouch- 
ers for it Had you acted like men, if you found me out of my duty, it 

was your business to have provided for the safety of the province, then to have 
drawn up your accusation against me to their Majesties, which I should have 
taken care should have come to their hands." 

The Assembly had on the 12th, in answer to a petition from five 
church-wardens and vestrymen of the city, declared that these church- 
wardens and vestrymen had power to call a dissenting minister, who 
should be paid and maintained according to the Act of September 22, 
1693. Fletcher, who had very just notions on such subjects, sharply re- 
buked the members for meddling with what they did not understand. 
"The laws," he said, "are to be interpreted only by judges; .... there 
are no such officers as church-wardens and vestrymen in any Protestant 
church but the Church of England." 

On the 20th Fletcher dissolved the Assembly by proclama- 
tion. Another was elected, and convened in June. Fletcher 
had been personally into the field, and influenced the election as far as it 
was in his power. Among the members were Colonel Henry Beekman, 1 
Brandt Schuyler, Major Wessells, and Jacobus Van Cortlandt. James 

1 « 'ulonel Henry Beekman was the eldest son of William Beekman, and brother of Dr. 
Gerardus Beekman. He settled in Esopus (Kingston). He was called the "Great Patentee" 
because of Ids extensive landed estate. A hoy once asked a Dutch farmer on the Hudson, if 
there was any land in the moon. "I don't know," was the reply ; "but if you will go to 
< oli. ml Henry Beekman he can tell you, for if there is any there you may be sine he has got 
a patent for the bigger part of it." ( 'olonel Henry Beekman was a deacon and elder in the 
Reformed I hitch church, and judge of the county of Ulster. He married Janet, the 
daughter of Robert Livingston (the nephew of Robert Livingston the first of the name in 
in this country) and his wife, Maigaretta Schuyler. He was large-sized, of symmetrical 
figure, manly in bearing, with a handsome, intelligent face. His children were, 1, Henry, 
who married Margaret Livingston (children, Robert, Henry, John, Edward, Janet, Mar- 
garet, Alida, Catharine, Hannah); '2, Catharine, who married Mr. Paulding of Rhinebeck ; 
3, Cornelia, who married Gilbert Livingston (children nine sons and five daughters) ; 4, Rob- 
ert ; 5, Gilbert. 



CRUELTIES OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 417 

Graham was speaker. More harmonywas obtained, and reasonable sums 
were raised to defray the debts of the government. Some important bills 
were passed, and then the House was adjourned until October. In the 
interim Fletcher visited Albany and conferred with the Indians, giving 
them many presents. He scolded them for allowing Count Frontenac to 
rebuild the fort at Cadaraqui, but commended them in turn for having 
made peace with one of the remote western tribes which had hitherto 
aided the French. One of the warriors of the latter tribe had been cap- 
tured while negotiating the treaty, and put to death by the French in 
the most shocking manner. He was tied to a stake, and a Frenchman 
broiled the Mesh of his legs with the red-hot barrel of a gun. A furrow 
was then split from the prisoner's shoulder to his garter, and rilled with 
gunpowder, which was set on fire. The captors danced around ami 
tilled the air with shouts of laughter. When the poor fellow's strength 
began to tail his scalp was taken off and hot coals of fire placed upon his 
skull. He was then untied and ordered to run for his life. He reeled 
like a drunken man, and started in an easterly direction ; they shut up 
tlie way ami drove him to the west, which the Indians call the country 
of departed miserable souls. He had vitality enough left to throw stones 
at his pursuers. They finally put an end to his misery by striking him 
on the head. After this every one cut a slice from his body and n in- 
cluded the entertainment with a feast. The Iroquois immediately served 
up their French and Indian prisoners in a similar manner. It was re- 
taliation and it was re-retaliation. The cruelties of that long and bloody 
warfare are beyond the power of language to describe. Count Frontenac 
finally determined to carry the sword into the very midst of the confed- 
erate tribes. He raised an army which was so large and extensive that 
it created a famine throughout Canada, and he was himself carried in an 
easy-chair directly in the rear of the artillery. News reached New York, 
and recruits were hurried off to the help of the Indians. 

When the Assembly came together in October the prospect was dark 
and dubious. The people had been paying heavy taxes and doing 
hard duty fur a long time with no sign of peace. The neighboring 
colonies denied assistance, and covered and protected those of the soldiers 
who had deserted; they had also turned to their own account both trade 
and people. These things were not well understood in England, and the 
governor, council, and Assembly finally agreed to send two agents, William 
Nicolls and Chidley Brooke, to correctly represent the case to the king. 
They sailed, but were captured by the French on their voyage, and threw 
their papers and letters overboard. They lay for several months in a 
Paris prison, and it was a long time before they reached Whitehall. 
27 



418 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

While New York was in speechless fear of the approaching French 
army at the North, Livingston at the English Court was heaping red-hot 
coals of fire upon the head of Fletcher himself. He, Livingston, was try- 
ing to recover money which he claimed to have advanced to the govern- 
ment of New York from time to time for some twenty years past. He 
said that sums which had been raised by Act of the Assembly to reim- 
burse him had been misappropriated by Fletcher. He, moreover, declared 
that the present Assembly had been illegally elected. He preferred so 
many startling accusations against the governor that the Lords of Trade 
took the matter up and went through the form of an investigation. 

Philip French was in England, and testified to having learned (from 
hearsay) that Fletcher had threatened to pistol any man who dared vote 
for Peter De Lanoy ; that he, French, went to dine with Fletcher, and 
asked if such reports were true, and that the latter did not deny them, 
but when told that the news came from Colonel De Peyster, angrily ex- 
claimed, " De Lanoy and De Peyster are both rascals." French further 
testified that there was great confusion on the day of election, and that 
he saw many soldiers and sailors, with clubs in their hands, about the 
polls ; and that there was much talk about " heats in the Assembly " 
concerning public money. Captain Kidd testified that the sheriff of New 
York asked him to let his crew come ashore to vote, but could not say 
that it was by the governor's order. Other sea-captains swore to having 
been asked to let their crews come ashore to vote, but no one could swear 
that it was by the governor's order, or that the votes were actually cast. 
Abraham Gouverneur and Jacob Leisler, Jr., testified that Fletcher hin- 
dered free elections, and passed soldiers and seamen off as citizens ; that 
the latter prowled about all day armed with clubs and staves : and that 
false returns were brought in from many of the counties. They had heard 
it said that all the goldsmiths in New York were employed in making 
snuff-boxes and other plate for presents to the governor ; also that the 
illegal Assembly had raised a large sum of money and sent agents to Eng- 
land to defend their actions. Letters were read from Peter De Lanoy, 
Eobert Walters, and others, praying for the recall of Fletcher ; they said 
they were not solicitous whether it was gently done or whether he fell 
into disgrace, only so they were rid of him. 

The Lords of Trade were wary in coming to conclusions ; after consid- 
erable delay Nicolls and Brooke appeared and put in strong counter-testi- 
mony. Gouverneur and Leisler tried to impeach them by showing how 
they had been instrumental in sending two heroes to the gallows. Fletch- 
er heard in course of events of the charges against him, and denied them 
so utterly, and was so well sustained in all his explanations by the mem- 



THE DE PEYSTER FAMILY. 419 

bers of his council, and seemed to have labored so indefatigably to further 
the interests of the province in its great struggle with the French, that he 
was exonerated from blame ; and but for a new complication of complaints 
would have been undisturbed in his position. 

Livingston succeeded in collecting his claims of the government, and 
returned to New York as a commissioned agent for the Indians, at a sala- 
ry, to be paid by the province, of £130 per annum. Fletcher was in- 
dignant. He said there was no need of this new office which Living- 
ston had created ; that it was an additional expense, could not be paid as 
long as the war lasted, and that all treaties would be negotiated by the 
governor in person under any circumstances. The council were of the 
same opinion. Fletcher declared that Livingston had warped the judg- 
ment of the Lords of Trade by false insinuations ; that, instead of suffering 
by his loyalty to New York, he had been abundantly paid by fees and 
perquisites for his services, and had actually made a fortune out of his em- 
ployment, never disbursing sixpence but with the expectation of twelve- 
pence in return ; that he had neither religion nor morality, and only 
thirsted to get rich, and had often been known to say that he " had rather 
be called knave Livingston than poor Livingston." He was an alien, too, 
born of Scotch parents, in Rotterdam, and thus disabled from executing 
any business of trust relating to the Treasury in the English dominions 
according to a late Act of Parliament. The governor and council met the 
strong-willed scion of nobility with the most determined opposition; and 
finally suspended him from the exercise of his office and laid the matter 
before the king. 

The year 1695 was eventful in city improvements as well as political 
encounters. Notwithstanding all the inconveniences of war, there was 
a healthy, bustling activity among the people, and a rapid increase of 
population. There was more money in circulation than ever before, and 
merchants were extending their commerce and growing rich. The priva- 
teers and pirates whom the war sustained came here U> buy provisions 
in exchange for gold and valuable commodities from the East, Many 
new houses and stores sprung up, and real estate suddenly advanced. 

Colonel Abraham De Pevster built a palatial mansion on Queen Street, 
nearly opposite Pine. It was fifty-nine by eighty feet, and three stories 
high. It hail a great double door in the renter of the front, over which 
was a broad balcony with double-arched windows. This balcony was for 
nearly a century the favorite resort of the governors of New York when 
they wished to hold military reviews. The rooms of the house were 
immensely large (some of them forty feel deep), and the walls and ceil- 
ings were handsomely decorated. The furniture was all imported, and 




420 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

was elaborately carved and very costly. The grounds occupied the 

whole block, and there was a coach-house and stable in the rear. The 

style of life of the famdy was the same as that of the European gentry 

of the same period. They indulged inelegant hospitalities and costly 

entertainments; the chief people of the city and province, and stately 

visitors from the Old World, were often grouped together under this roi if. 

The silverware in daily use upon the table was estimated as worth about 

$ 8,500, and the most of it was of exquisite workmanship. The finest 

cut-glass and the rarest patterns of China adorned the 

quaint and massive sideboard ; and the walls were hung 

with paintings from the old masters. They had sixteen 

household servants, nine of whom were negro slaves. De 

Peyster owned a tract of land on the north of Wall Street 

east of Broadway to William Street, and thence toward 

the river, wdiich was called the "Great Garden of Colonel 

De Peyster Arms. De Peyster," and which after his death was divided into 

lots and partitioned among his children. 

Of the sons of De Peyster, Abraham figured the most conspicuously in 

public affairs. He was born in the new Queen Street mansion in 1696. He 

died in 1767 at the age of seventy-one. He was forty-six years treasurer of 

the province of New York. His descendants in the direct line represent this 

ancient and honorable family to-day. 1 One of the younger sons, Pierre 

Guillaume, married (in 1733) Catharine the daughter of Arent Schuyler; 

their son, Colonel Arent Schuyler De Peyster, entered the military service 

1 Abraham de Peyster, Jr., married Margaret, eldest daughter of Jacobus Van Cortlandt 
and Eve Philipse in 1722. He was treasurer of the province from June 2, 1721, till his 
death in 1767. He had eleven children, several of whom died young. James was the eldest 
son and inherited the estate. He was born in 1726. Frederic (known as the Marquis) was 
born in 1 731 ; he succeeded his father as treasurer of the province. Catharine married John 
Livingston, and had thirteen children. Margaret married Hon. William Axtell, one of the 
king's counselors. Maria married Dr. John Charlton. Elizabeth married Matthew < larkson. 

James de Peyster married (in 1748) Sarah, daughter of Hon. Joseph Eeade, one of the 
king's counselors. He had thirteen children. Frederic, the eldest surviving son, married 
Helen, only daughter of Samuel Hake (claimant of the title of Lord Hake) and granddaughter 
of Eobert Gilbert Livingston. She died in 1S01, and he afterwards married Ann, only daugh- 
ter of Gerard G. Beekman and grand-daughter of Lieutenant-Governor Pierre Van Cortlandt. 
Frederic, the son of Frederic de Peyster, married Mary Justina, the daughter of Hon. John 
Watts. He rose to eminence at the bar of New York, and has ever been one of her most 
public-spirited citizens. He is now the honored President of the New York Historical So- 
ciety. His only son, John Watts de Peyster, married Estelle, daughter of John Swift Living- 
ston. He was Brevetted Major-General for meritorious services, by concurrent Resolution of 
the New York Legislature, in 1866 ; and has achieved a world-wide reputation as an author 
and military historian. 



■ " - ' 




TRINITY CHURCH. 421 

in 1755, and held a royal commission for more than hall' a century. He 
commanded at Detroit and vicinity during the most stormy period of the 
French and Indian War, and contributed largely to the consolidation of 
the English possessions. His wife accompanied him everywhere, in camp 
and in quarters, amid savage tribes and in polished communities. His 
nephew and namesake, in one of his voyages round the world, discovered 
the De Peyster Islands in the Pacific Ocean. 

Of the daughters of De Peyster, Catharine married (in 1710) Philip Van 
Cortlandt, son of Stephanas Van Cortlandt, and second lord of Cortlandt 
manor. She was the mother of Lieutenant-Governor Pierre Van Cort- 
landt. Elizabeth (whose godmother was Mrs. Governor Fletcher, in 
1694) married Governor John Hamilton of New Jersey. Joanna, bom 
in 1701, married her cousin Isaac De Peyster. 

Fletcher, in his zeal for the good of the church, built a small chapel in 
the fort in 1693, and the queen sent plate, books, and other furniture for 
it. It was burned with the other buildings in 1741. and but little is 
known of its history. Rev. John Miller was the Episcopal clergyman 
As soon as the Assembly passed the act for establishing a ministry in the 
province, he demanded induction into the living ; but it was decided that 
he was not entitled to it. He accordingly sailed for England : while on 
the voyage he was taken prisoner by the French, and threw all his papers 
into the sea. During his imprisonment he wrote from memory a descrip- 
tion of New York. He said the commerce of the city had become so 
extensive that forty square-rigged vessels, sixty-two sloops, anil as many 
boats were entered at the Custom-House at one time. 1 The chief part of 
his little work was devoted to a labored and extraordinary plan for civil and 
ecclesiastical government on a new basis. This clergyman had greatly 
stimulated Fletcher in the work of building a church edifice, and had 
recommended a site. But Fletcher had his eye upon the " King's Farm," 
which was set apart lor the use of the governor: it consisted of a garden, 
an orchard, a triangular graveyard in one corner, and pasturage for cows 
and horses. Andros had leased that portion of it under cultivation for 
twenty years, at sixty bushels of wheat per annum. As the lease was 
about expiring, Fletcher granted it to the use of the church-wardens for 
seven years without tine. A building was at once projected and in course 
of a few months was completed. A charter, bearing date May 6, 1697, 

1 The manuscript of Rev. John Miller, with .i quaint map attached, found its way from 
the archives of the Bishop of London to tin- library oi Georgi Chalmers, the historian, anil 
finally fell into the hands of Thomas Rodd, a London bookseller, who published it in 1843. 
Since then the original manuscript has been deposited in the British Museum. The city was 
then all below Wall Street, the wall remaining; also, the stone bastions at Broadway ami 
William Street 



422 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

was granted by an act of the Assembly, approved and ratified by the gov- 
ernor and council, by which *' a certain church and steeple lately built in 
the city of New York, together with a parcel of ground adjoining " (with 
full description) was to be known as Trinity Church. The wardens and 
vestrymen were duly named and constituted, 1 and with the Bishop of 
London for their rector, 2 were established a body corporate and politic, 
with all the privileges and powers usually pertaining to the same. 

Up to that time the Episcopal service had been performed in the Dutch 
Church, and the clergymen of the two denominations had lived in all 
friendship. But Dominie Selyns was uneasy about the legal condition 
of the Dutch organization, and feared its privileges might at any moment 
be withdrawn. He and his consistory, therefore, applied to Fletcher for 
a charter. It was granted, prior to that of Trinity Church (May 11, 
1696), and indeed was the first church charter issued in the colony. It 
secured the independence of the organization by giving it power to call 
its ministers, and to hold property acquired by gift or device. It also 
provided for compulsory payment of church rates for the support of 
the gospel. This last clause was never enforced, and was stricken out 
altogether as inconsistent with the principles of republican government, 
when the State Legislature confirmed the charter after the colonies be- 
came a nation. Dominie Selyns, in writing to the Classis of Amsterdam, 
said that there were several English ministers in the rural districts about 
New York who had been educated in New England ; that the University 
of Cambridge had graduated very many in philosophy and the higher 
studies. He said that the French minister Dominie Perret, a man of 
great learning, officiated in New York ; that Dominie Brodet had been 
called to preach to the Huguenots in New Bochelle, five hours' ride from 
New York ; and that Dominie Daille had gone to Boston. " Morals," 
continued the pious and accomplished dominie, " have much degenerated, 
and evil practices have been introduced by strangers and privateersmen. 
< lux calamities spring from the bottomless pool of heaven-high sins, for- 
eign but nevertheless without suspicion of foreigners. Money increases, 
high houses are built, and land is made in the water. Since I came the 
last time the city and its inhabitants have increased more than two 
thirds." 

1 The first church-wardens of Trinity Church were Thomas Wenham and Robert Lurting ; 
the first vestrymen, Caleb Heatheote, William Merritt, John Tudor, James Emott, Wil- 
liam Morris, Thomas Clarke, Ebenezer Wilson, Samuel Burt, James Everts, Nathaniel Mars- 
ton, Michael Howtlen, John Crooke, William Shaqras, Lawrence Read, David Jamison, Wil- 
liam Huddleston, Gabriel Ludlow, Thomas Merritt, William Janeway. 

'- The appointment of the Bishop of London for a rector, who could not actually perform 
the duties, was a temporary arrangement to provide the corporation with a head. Book of 
Patents, VII. 25, Secretary of State's office. 






PIRACY. 423 

Piracy had long been in existence. It had been encouraged rather 
than otherwise by the European governments. In time of war it was 
agreeable to annoy the commerce of an enemy without trouble or expense. 
Private armed vessels, sometimes licensed and sometimes unlicensed, 
roved the seas and robbed and plundered at pleasure. Many of these 
free-sailors held commissions from the king of England to annoy France. 
Presently the ships of all nations were seized, plundered and sunk or 
burned, not excepting those of Great Britain herself. The English gov- 
ernment was roused only when ocean-commerce seemed nearly destroyed. 

Just at this moment the Leislerians seized hold of the lever which fate 
seemed to have ordained for the complete overturn of political affairs in 
New York. They accused Fletcher of conspiracy with the pirates ; that is, 
they declared that he encouraged and protected them. He had in com- 
mon with the practice in England issued commissions tor sea-captains to 
raise men and act as privateers against the French. He had also accepted 
bonds and promised protection. But he afterwards denied to the satis- 
faction of the Lords of Trade having ever aided in such manner known 
pirates. Meanwhile the evidence of commissions found in the possession 
of the high-handed sea-robbers, Coats, Hoare, Tew, and others, was used 
to prove his complicity in their crimes. He said they abused the favor 
shown them and turned pirates afterwards. He admitted his knowledge 
of the fact that Tew had been a pirate prior to his acquaintance with him, 
bm said that the latter had promised not to engage in such lmsiness any 
more. He said Tew was agreeable and companionable, had good sense 
ami a -real memory ; that he had often invited him to his table, and taken 
him to drive, because it was a source of diversion and information to 
converse with him. He said he had it in his heart to convert Tew 
from the error of his ways, to make him sober and reclaim him from the 
"vile habit of swearing." He had presented him with a book on the 
subject : on another occasion he bad given his singular guest a gun of 
some value. Tew hail seemed grateful, and bestowed in return a curious 
watch upon the governor. Rumor said that he also gave valuable jewels 
lo Mrs. Fletcher and her daughters. But this, if true, was never proven. 
It was, however, a remarkable intimacy; and Tew subsequently pro- 
ceeded to the Indian Ocean, where, harboring himself with others of his 
craft among the creeks of Madagascar, be plundered and murdered until 
humanity refuses to blot the pages of history with his deeds. 

No sooner was Fletcher implicated than some of the wealthiest and 
hitherto most respectable citizens of New York were accused of sharing 
in the spoils of ocean robbery. Every new development seemed to 
justify the suspicion. The remarkable influx of strangers, the increasing 



42 1 Hf STORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

quantity of rich goods exposed for sale, the rapid erection of expensive 
buildings, and the free circulation of Eastern gold pieces, pointed in the 
one direction. 

The Lords of Trade brought the startling subject before the king as 
soon as he was capable of attending to business after the death of Queen 
Mary. It was some months before any action was taken, and then not 
until an event occurred which could not be passed by unnoticed. The 
pirates had destroyed some of the Mogul's ships in the Indian Ocean, one 
in particular that he was sending laden with presents to Mecca. 

The East India Company learned that the Mogul had information that 
the corsairs were Englishmen, and also that he was about to take reprisals 
for damages. A man-of-war must unquestionably be sent to put a stop to 
such traffic. But Parliament had so appropriated the nation's funds that 
no money could be obtained for the purpose. " We can make it a pri- 
vate undertaking," said King William to his counselors. " I will give 
£3,00(1, and you can furnish the balance." Lord Somers and the Earls 
of Oxford, Rumney, and Bellomont, with Robert Livingston, who was still 
at court, discussed the question, and finally contributed the whole amount, 
some £6,00(1, the king failing to advance the sum which he had prom- 
ised. Livingston introduced Captain Kidd to Lord Bellomont, and recom- 
mended him as a fit man to command the expedition. Livingston said 
Kidd had sailed a packet from New York to London for some years, was 
known to lie honorable and brave, was well acquainted with the habits 
and haunts of the pirates in the Eastern seas, and was ready to perform 
deeds of valor for the good of the country. He was accordingly employed, 
receiving a commission from the Admiralty, which gave him power sim- 
ply to act against the French. It was not deemed sufficient, and another 
commission was finally furnished under the Great Seal, dated January 26, 
1696, giving him full authority to apprehend all pirates wherever he should 
encounter them, and bring them to trial. Livingston entered into bonds 
with Kidd to Bellomont, to account strictly for all the prizes secured ; 
and a grant under the Great Seal provided that all property taken from 
the pirates should vest in the parties at whose cost the vessel was fitted 
out, the king to receive one tenth of the proceeds. There was abundant 
ground for complaint, and great handle was made of the arrangement, for 
it was against law to take a grant of goods from offenders before convic- 
tion. But the case of pirates was manifestly different from that of other 
criminals. They could never be attacked except in the way of war, and 
whoever undertook such an enterprise ran a great risk, and it was reason- 
able that they should have a right to what they should find in the enemy's 
hands, whereas, those who seize common offenders have the strength of 



CAPTAIN K1DD. 425 

the law within immediate reach, and incur so little danger that the cases 
are by no means parallel. 

Kidd set sail in April, L696, under brilliant auspices. He stopped in 
New York and shipped ninety additional men, and in July was fairly at 
sea on his fatal mission. The sequel — how, instead of suppressing piracy, 
he became the prince of pirates, and nearly involved not only the Lords of 
Trade, but even the king of England himself, in the blackest of charges — 
is well known. The undertaking was in itself innocent and meritorious. 
Yet it was traduced until, in the House of Commons, it was voted as 
highly criminal, and but for energetic action on the part of a few, would 
have condemned its projectors forever. 

Kidd was an attractive and cultivated man, and there was no occasion 
to distrust his intentions. As far as known his previous life had been 
irreproachable. He had a comfortable and pleasant home in Liberty 
Street, New York, and a wife beautiful, accomplished, and of the highest 
respectability. She was Sarah Oort, the widow of one of his fellow-offi- 
cers; they were married in 1691, and at the time of his departure for the 
Eastern Ocean, they had one charming little daughter. Many supposed 
that lie had secret orders from the government t" pursue piracy. Butthe 
stain upon England's records did nut prove indelible. 

Dudley, the former chief justice of New York, was in London, taking 
advantage of his interest at court to obtain the governorship of Massachu- 
setts, Sir William Phipps having recently died. He opposed the bill to 
reverse the attainder of Leisler and Milborne in the House of Commons 
with all his strength, which was not inconsiderable. The agents from 
Massachusetts took the opportunity in consequence to urge against him 
the conspicuous part he had borne in the trial and condemnation of the 
unfortunate men, and he lost his appointment for the time. Bellomont 
was the favorite candidate henceforth. When it became evident that 
Fletcher must be recalled, it seemed the part of wisdom to appoint one 
general governor over New York and New England for convenience during 
the continuance of the war. At the same time each colony was to have 
an Assembly and courts independent of each other. Bellomont had been 
created an earl by William as a reward fur his many distinguished ser- 
vices to the royal pair; he had been the treasurer and receiver-general 
of Mary, and the personal and confidential friend of the king. He was 
esteemed one of the most honest as well as able men about the throne. 
William told his Lords that Bellomont would be more likely to put a stop 
to piracy than any other man he could think of. Bellomont received the' 
appointment, but, owing to disputes about the salaries of both sovereign 
and statesmen, consequent upon the financial distress of the kingdom at 
that juncture, he did not reach his government for more than two years. 



426 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

The year 1696 was distinguished by the repeal of the Bolting and Bak- 
ing Acts in New York, which had added so many coffers to the 
city's purse. The mayor and common council resisted to the last, 
but all to no purpose. Commerce in bread and flour was thrown open to 
all competitors. An alarming scarcity of bread soon began to prevail. 
The bakers declared they could not buy bread cheap enough to supply 
their customers at former prices. An account of stock was taken of tbe 
wheat, flour, and bread within the city, and only about a week's provision 
discovered for the seven thousand inhabitants. The repeal of the Bolting 
Act had enabled the farmers throughout the country to grind their own 
flour, and it had been sold largely to the pirates as a private speculation. 
A famine was actually threatened. A petition was signed by a majority 
of the citizens, and despatched to tbe king, asking for a restoration of the 
monopoly. 

The first opening of Nassau Street occurred in June. Teunis De 
Kay successfully petitioned tbe mayor and common council for 
tbe privilege of making a cartway through " the street that rwns by the 
pie woman's leading to the city commons" and the land alongside was given 
to him as a compensation for bis labor. About the same time the corpor- 
ation of the city of New York appropriated the first dollar ever expended 
upon the cleaning of the streets. The amount set apart was £ 20. 

The following spring the streets were first lighted. The nov- 
elty of the decree issued by the corporation gives it a peculiar 
flavor : — 

" The Board taking into consideration the great inconvenience that attends 
this city, for want of lights in the dark time of the moon, in the winter season, 
it is therefore ordered that the housekeepers of the city shall put out lights in 
the following manner, viz, every seventh house shall cause a lantern with a 
candle in it to be hung out on a -pole, the charges to be defrayed equally by the 
inhabitants of the said seven houses." 

The institution of the first night-watch was equally characteristic of 
the times : — 

" Four good and honest inhabitants of the city shall be appointed whose duty 
it shall be to watch in the night-time from the hour of nine in the evening till 
break of day, until the 25th of March next ; and to go round the city each hour 
of the night with a bell, to proclaim the season of the weather, and the hour of the 
night." 

The arrival of Lord Bellomont was the m-eat event of the spring 

1C98. & i 

of 1698. 1 He arrived on the 2d of April. He was met at the 

1 Richard Coote, Earl of Bellomont and Baron of Coloony, was the son of Sir Richard 



THE EARL OF BELLOMONT. -427 

wharf by prominent gentlemen from both political parties, and crowds 
of people. The corporation burned four barrels of gunpowder in 
their salute of welcome. He went through the usual forms of P 
publishing his commission, and that of his lieutenant-governor, John 
Nanfan, a cousin of Lady Bellomont, who had crossed the ocean with 
them; and then the new governor administered the oaths to the members 
of the executive council, who were continued without change. 

A pretentious dinner was given to Bellomont by the corporation, ac- 
cording to the ancient custom. 2 Johannes De Peyster was the mayor, and 
he could preside over a banquet with as much grace as his distinguished 
brother Abraham. A loyal address bad been prepared which greatly 
pleased the new executive, and he was delightfully affable to everybody. 

Bellomont was a genuine nobleman. He was also a master of the art 
of politeness, and knew how to make even the commonest man or woman 
feel that they were the objects of his special regard. He was of attrac- 
tive, commanding presence, large-sized, somewhat above the ordinary 
height, with finely shaped and well-poised head, a face stamped with iron 
firmness, dark, magnetic, kindly, expressive eyes, and small, soft white 
hands. His voice was low and musical, but capable of great modulation. 
No one could tell a story with more humor, or enjoy a hearty laugh better 
than he. And yet he was not cheerful as a rule, and his countenance 
was apt to wear an expression of painful thought. It was only at rare 
intervals that vivacity sparkled forth like foaming nectar, and then it 
was so charming that the memory of it remained whatever clouds fol- 
lowed. He bore himself with a certain dignity that was much admired. 
He sat in his saddle with an ease which equestrians tried in vain to imi- 
tate. His dress was a model of elegance and good taste, and it was a 
matter which no mental disturbance ever induced him to neglect. His 
table was filled with the choicest viands, and it was served with as much 
ceremony as William's own. His equipage was magnificent. 

Coote, who on the restoration of Charles II. was made a peer of the realm witli the title of 
Baron of Coloony. The family is of French extraction, ami settled originally in Devonshire. 
From a branch of the family, which afterwards possessed large estates in Norfolk and Suffolk, 
those of Ireland are descended. Lodge's Irish Peerage, I. 'J'.''.'. History «f Ireland, 11. 33 
III. 14. r >. Nichols's Irish Comp., 1735. Upon the death of the elder Baron of Coloony, July 
16, 1683, Richard succeeded to his titles and estates. In March, 1689, In- was one of the first 
to espouse the cause of the Prince of Orange, and was soon after appointed treasurer and re- 
ceiver-general to Queen Mary. William advanced him to the dignity of the Earl of Bello- 
mont. He married in 1660 Catharine, daughter and heiress of John Nanfan of Birch Morton, 
and had two sons, Nanfan and Richard, who successively inherited their father's titles. Sketch 
oftlie Earl of Bellomont by Moore, in Striker's American Quart* rly Register. Vol. I. 434. 

2 One hundred and fifty persons dined with the new governor on this occasion, the bill 
of fare embracing venison, turkey, chicken, goose, pigeon, duck, and other game, mutton, 
beef, lamb, veal, pork, sausages, with pastry, puddings, cakes, and the choicest of wines. 



428 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

He was sixty-two years of age, but might easily have passed foi fifty. 
Lady Bellomout was much younger, as he had married her when she was 
only twelve. He was very fond as well as very proud of her. A series 
of stately dinner-parties were given by the leading New York families, 
and the first few weeks of their American life were more pleasant than 
any which ever came afterwards. 

Bellomont had from his youth up been accustomed to see power con- 
stantly associated with pomp, and found it difficult to believe that the 
substance existed unless people were dazzled by the trappings. Preju- 
dice, not vanity, was his besetting sin. He took his measure of men with 
the eye instead of the rule, and was as sincere in his friendship as he was 
inflexible in his aversions. He had a sound heart, honorable sympathies, 
and an honest desire to do justice to the oppressed. But he formed opin- 
ions too hastily, and they were the result of impulse rather than reason. 
They were apt to be colored by the first hearing of a case. Thus the 
good he might have done was warped and defeated. And he, instead of 
preserving a steady mean between the two great party extremes, was car- 
ried swiftly into the political whirlpool. He indulged in the most impla- 
cable antipathy towards Fletcher, even long before he crossed the ocean. 
He had listened to the aspersions cast upon the character of the latter by 
the Leislerians at the court of William, and had never doubted the truth 
of the same. He came prepared to pronounce wholesale condemnation 
upon all the acts of his predecessor. Evidence was an after consideration 
in his mind. It would have been the part of wisdom to have sifted the 
grains of fact from the vast amount of fiction, but Bellomont was as pre- 
cipitate as he was sincere. 

The hopes of the Leislerians were greatly stimulated by his appoint- 
ment, for he had openly declared in England that in his opinion the 
execution of Leisler was a judicial murder. His ears were consecpientlv 
tilled at once with exaggerated complaints. And things certainly bail 
a singular look. Trade seemed to be traveling on a tangent. Arabian 
gold and East India goods were everywhere common. New York was 
getting rich at a most extraordinary rate. 

Bellomont with characteristic conscientiousness charged all irregulari- 
ties to the account of his predecessor, and then set about overturning the 
stones which hid the pool of corruption. It was not so easy to prove as 
to nuess who had been immersed within it. He discovered something 
akin to green mould hanging from the garments of several of the landed 
lords, who represented the aristocratic party. The members of his council 
were reticent, and he soon learned that they were meeting daily at the 
lodgings of Fletcher, who had not yet sailed for England. They were 



UELLOMONTS REFORMS. 429 

owners of merchant-vessels, — at least many of them were, — and their 
friendship for Fletcher had an annua of complicity. Besides, they did 
not come up manfully, in the eyes of the new executive, to his assistance 
when he attempted to enforce the laws of trade, and some of them ex- 
pressed surprise that they must needs have such an unexpected dis- 
turbance. 

Fletcher was quite determined to have his accounts with the govern- 
ment audited before he departed, that he might take his proofs and vouch- 
ers to the Lords of Trade, as he was confident that he could clear himself 
from all the charges which had been made against him. He said that 
after having held commission under the Crown of England for thirty-five 
years without the least reproach or impeachment of his reputation, he did 
not think he " should become a castaway in the rear of his days." 

Bellomont had been in New York scarcely three weeks before he 
issued a writ of restitution to put Leisler's and Milborne's families in pos- 
session of their estates, which had hitherto been a tardy process through 
various obstacles. It created a popular tumult, for the property had 
passed through several hands, and innocent parties were obliged to vacate 
houses and stores to which they held title-deeds obtained in good faith. 
But a still greater excitement was caused by the seizure of ships ami 
goods under the new administration. Chidley Brooke was the collector 

of customs and receiver-general. He was a hi 1 relative and had been 

brought up in the home of the father of Bellomont. His first employ in 
the government had been through the influence of the late Baron of 
Coloony. Bellomont treated him haughtily, however, and in the execu- 
tion of his duties, now more sharply defined than ever, granted him no 
quarter. He ordered him to seize a cargo of East India goods, ami he- 
came very angry when Brooke showed a disposition to hold back by 
declaring that it was not his business, and that he had no boat witli 
which to visit the vessel. He was c impelled to obey orders finally, but he 
delayed the accomplishment of the task for some days, and then captured 
only a small portion of what the ship contained, the remainder being 
secreted. Bellomont was in high temper, but the merchants outrivalled 

him in that particular, and almost raised a mutiny over his proc lings : 

he was enraged at Brooke for what he styled " negligence " in allowing 
unlawful trade to get such headway, and said it would cost so much more 
trouble now to put it down. 

Meanwhile the stories about Fletcher were thriving in New York as 
well as England. It was said in connection with his having issued 
commissions to piratical commanders, that he had received large sums 
of money for protecting pirates whenever they chose to land in New 



430 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

York to dispose of their spoils. It was said that one pirate had given him 
a ship winch he had sold for £ 8,000 to Caleb Heathcote. It was also 
currently reported that the great merchant- vessels of New York, which 
went to Madagascar for negroes, bought goods of the pirates, and that the 
owners of those vessels had money interest in the pirate vessels. There 
was no end to the gossip. William Nicolls was charged with having 
been Fletcher's chief broker in the matter of protections, and the 
place of rendezvous where he had often held interviews with piratical 
captains on the Long Island shore was confidently pointed out to 
Bellomont. The earl never gave the question the benefit of a doubt. 
With swift impetuosity he suspended his counselor without even a hear- 
ing in his own defense. Then he wrote to the Lords of Trade under date 
of May 8, 1098: — 

"Colonel Nicolls ought to be sent with Colonel Fletcher a criminal prisoner 
to England for trial, but the gentlemen of the council are tender of him, as he is 
connected by marriage to several of them, and I am prevailed upon to accept 
£ 2,000, for his appearance here when demanded. He is a man of good sense 
and knowledge in the law, but has been a great instrument and contriver of 
unjust and corrupt practices." 

Bellomont dissolved Fletcher's late Assembly and issued writs for a 
new one. The election stirred up the old feud, but the Leislerians 
through the country were as yet not fairly awake to this possible deliver- 
ance and did not win a majority in the House. The new Assembly met 
as early as possible, and Philip French was chosen speaker. Bellomont's 
opening address was a review of the condition of public affairs. His 
legacy, he said, was a divided people, an empty purse, a few miserable, 
half-starved, naked soldiers, ragged fortifications, a tumble-down gov- 
ernor's house, and, in short, a whole government out of frame. The 
prospect was certainly anything but cheerful. Bellomont said he should 
pocket none of the people's money, and all his accounts should be fur- 
nished for inspection when and as often as desired. He declared 
against free elections, against piracy, against illegal trade, against dis- 
orders of whatever nature, and in favor of reducing the salaries of the 
officers of the government. He said the revenue which had been raised 
for five years was nearly expiring and must be renewed. He said that 
immediate provision must be made to pay the debts of the government. 

Until now the Assembly had consisted of nineteen members. Bello- 
mont warmly advocated the passage of a bill to increase the number to 
thirty, and to provide against the abuses attending elections. It created 
so much ill-natured discussion that no other business was attempted for 



THE ACTS OF TRADE. 4.J1 

u month, and finally six of the members seceded from the Assembly 
altogether. The only thing which had really been accomplished was an 
address to the king, and Bellomont dissolved the body in disgust. 

The trouble with the merchants grew into such proportions, and it be- 
came so necessary to have officers who would execute justice promptly, 
that Bellomont peremptorily dismissed Brooke from all his positions, and 
appointed Hon. Stephanus Van Cortlandt with Mr. Monsay, searcher of 
customs, to act as commissioners until a new receiver-general should 
receive the sanction of the king. Two or three days afterwards some 
goods were to be seized, and each of three constables who were sent for in 
turn to perform the duty was missing. A report was communicated to 
Bellomont the same afternoon, to the effect that the sheriff himself was 
concerned in the receipt of some East India goods, and that a large quan- 
tity was concealed in his house. The earl sprang to his feet and sent 
an order to Mr. Monsay and Mr. Everts to seize them at once. They 
entered the sheriff's house without opposition, but while they were pack- 
ing the goods for removal to the Custom-House, the doors were locked 
upon them, leaving them prisoners in a close, unventilated garret, where 
they were obliged to remain until they were nearly stifled. It was nine 
o'clock in the evening before Bellomont heard of their incarceration. He 
at once sent his own servants with three files of soldiers, who broke in 
the doors and liberated the gentlemen. 

The next day Mr. Monsay was called upon to seize more goods, but he 
declined to serve longer in that vocation. Bellomont was surprised, for 
Monsay had been searcher of the customs for six years, and this late office 
advanced him an extra £ 200 in the way of salary. Brooke was accused 
of having influenced Monsay. But as the latter could not be persuaded 
to come in collision again with the angry merchants, who had threatened 
his life, the son of Sir George Hungerford, another relative of the Earl, 
was appointed in his place. 

William l'inhorne disapproved of Bellomont's arbitrary proceedings, 
particularly in regard to the merchants, and took occasion to express his 
opinions in strong language. He was immediately removed from the 
council by the governor, on the ground of having used disrespectful 
words against the king. He retired to his plantation near Snake Hill 
on the Hackinsack River, and was appointed judge of the Supreme Court 
in New Jersey, and a member of the governor's council in that State. 

A record of the various encounters of Bellomont in his efforts to en- 
force the Acts of Trade would fill a volume. He wrote to the king: — 

" I am obliged to stand entirely upon my own legs, my assistants hinder me, 
the people oppose me, and the merchants threaten me. It is indeed uphill 
work." 



432 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

That such was the case is no matter of wonder. Those Acts of Trade 
were despotic in their nature and contradictory to the rights of humanity. 
They were everywhere evaded. New York was not alone. The city had 
become a nest of pirates, it is true, but it was the English nation which fed 
and fostered them. Piracy did not originate in New York. The place 
was simply chosen on account of its central geographical position, and its 
nearness to the open sea. A brief review of the Acts of Trade will enable 
the reader to better judge why no voice of conscience declared their vio- 
lation a moral offense, and how respect for them resolved itself into a 
mere calculation of chances ; it is to be taken into account also that New 
York was a city chiefly of abens, owing allegiance to England and to 
other European powers, and without the bonds of common history or 
tongue. 

No commodities might be imported into any British settlement in Asia, 
Africa, or America, or exported thence, but in vessels built in Eugland or 
in her colonial plantations, and navigated by crews of which the master 
and three fourths of the sailors were English subjects. The penalty 
was forfeiture of ship and cargo. No one but a natural-born subject of the 
English crown or person legally naturalized could exercise the occupa- 
tion of merchant or factor in any English colonial settlement. No sugar, 
tobacco, cotton, wool, indigo, ginger, or dye-stuffs produced in the colonies 
should be shipped from them to any other country than England, and 
ship-owners were required at the port of lading to give bonds with 
security proportioned to tonnage. The prohibited articles were called 
enumerated, and as soon as any new articles were brought into notice 
through the ingenuity and industry of the colonists, they were added to 
the list. It forbade also the importation of any European articles into 
the colonies save in vessels laden in England and navigated as above. It 
was the policy of nations to keep the trade of colonies confined to the 
parent country. Charles II. imposed a tax of five per cent on all goods 
imported into or exported from any of the dominions of the crown. Par- 
liament went a step farther and taxed the trade which one colony carried 
on with another. 

The peace of Ryswick had interrupted hostilities between the French 
and English, but Count Frontenac was still pursuing the Iroquois with 
unabated vigor. Bellomont sent two agents, Captain John Schuyler and 
Dominie Dellius, to Montreal to confer with the French commander. The 
latter claimed that the Iroquois were French not English subjects and he 
must bring them to terms. An interesting controversy at once ensued. 
Bellomont took a very high and arrogant tone in his correspondence, and 
Count Frontenac was equally resolute and opinionated. Bellomont, al- 



CONTENTION IN THE COUNCIL. 4oo 

though seriously ill with the gout, hurried to Albany to meet the Indians 
themselves. Before any settlement was reached in the matter the Count 
died at the advanced age of seventy. 

When Belloniont returned to New York he found the gentlemen of his 
council sullen and estranged. He invited them to dine with him, and 
fancied he detected signs of displeasure when he drank the king's health, 
as was his custom. He made a lame effort to conciliate the merchants, 
who were grumbling more loudly than ever, by giving them a general 
invitation to come to his dinner-table at any time ; but they never came. 
Brooke had gone to England to obtain redress for his grievances. He hail 
sailed during the governor's absence in Albany, and had been visited by 
great numbers of prominent persons before his departure, and crowds of 
people attended him to the vessel. Belloniont discovered that petitions 
had been extensively signed, asking for his recall, and sent by Brooke to 
Whitehall. 

The great bone of contention in the council was piracy. All were 
agreed in the necessity for its suppression. But as to its actual extent 
there was a vast difference of opinion. Belloniont was informed that 
Colonel Bayard had assisted Fletcher in giving protection to pirates. He 
proclaimed it with emphasis. He also startled his associates by making 
known his suspicions in regard to several others among their number, who 
had unquestionably been concerned in the encouragement of depredations 
upon the sea. The retort was in the very nature of things inevitable. It 
was now well known that Captain Kidd had raised the black flag; and 
the possible complicity of Belloniont himself was on men's lips all over 
the world. The iron entered the noble soul. But the Earl would not 
allow any such misrepresentations to come between him and the execu- 
tion of what he considered his duty. He was trying to purify a corrupt 
government, and suspected men must not be allowed to stand in high 
places. He therefore proceeded to remove Colonel Bayard, Gabriel Min- 
vielle, Thomas Willett, Richard Townley, and John Lawrence from the 
council. The following morning Frederick Philipse resigned. 

The excitement was intense. Rumor distorted facts, and the displaced 
gentlemen were accredited with the darkest deeds. A beautiful diamond 
worn by Mrs. Bayard was said to have been taken from the finger of an 
Arabian princess, and romance quickly wove the story into a bloody 
murder. It was reported to have been the price paid to Bayard for ob- 
taining the murderer's protection. It was for a time currently believed 
that Minvielle possessed a large box of Arabian gold pieces obtained in a 
simdar manner. John Lawrence was said to have often entertained the 
freebooters at his house on Long Island. Frederick Philipse was the 



434 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

subject of much speculation. He owned several great merchant-vessels, 
and it was said that three or four were coming in from Madagascar laden 
with jewels and costly wares; and that his son Adolphe Philipse had 
gone out in a small ship to meet them and conceal the treasures. This 
last story w.as the only one which had any tangible foundation. Adolphe 
Philipse did go out as reported, though his object was never made known. 
When the vessels were at last entered, the depositions of the crew sub- 
stantiated the original statement of Philipse that the goods had been 
bought at low prices from African traders instead of pirates. 

Bellomont wrote to the Lords of Trade in reference to the changes 
made in the council, without repeating the charges which he had so im- 
pulsively preferred. He said that Townley lived in East Jersey and 
never came to the meetings ; that Philipse resigned on account of his 
great age, being seventy-two years old ; that Lawrence was also super- 
annuated, being eighty-two years of age ; and that the other gentlemen 
were disposed to promote illegal trade. David Jamison, the clerk of the 
council, was removed because of grave impertinence, and the governor in 
excusing such a stringent course, said that Jamison had once been con- 
demned to the gallows in Scotland for blasphemy and burning the Bible, 
but in mitigation of the sentence had been transported to America; 
and, also, that he had two wives, — one left behind him, and one in New 
York. 

The new counselors appointed to fill the vacancies were Robert Living- 
ston, Colonel Abraham De Peyster, Thomas Weaver, Dr. Samuel Staats, 
and Eobert Walters. 1 Bellomont had reviewed Fletcher's action against 
Livingston and reinstated the latter in all his offices. The Leislerian 
faction were thus in the ascendant in the council, and the whole party 
took courage. Some went so far as to broach the subject of demanding 
a retrospect of all the events and quarrels during the period of the 
Revolution. 

On the other hand, Colonel Bayard was so indignant with the treat- 
ment which he had received, that he made a voyage to England at once, 
and personally laid the subject before the Lords of Trade and the king. 
William Nicolls stood guard over party interests in New York. Clubs 
and " cabals " were held at stated intervals, and an uneasy time it was 
for the governor. The latter came into collision with William Brad- 

1 Dr. Samuel Staats married, while holding some appointment in India obtained for him 
by William of Orange, an East Indian "Begum" or princess, with whom and his children 
lir returned to Holland and thence to New York. His daughter Catharine married Lewis 
Morris, and was the mother of the celebrated Staats Long Morris. Gouverneur Keinbh ; 
New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, January, 1876, p. 17. 



JAMES GRAHAM. 435 

ford, who was printing for the government, and high words many times 
ensued. Bradford's salary was cut down in the general reduction of >^>\ - 
ernmental expenses, and he several times told the Earl he might do his 
own printing. 

Bellomont, from all he could learn, was convinced that much of the 
wealth of the New York aristocracy had been dishonorably obtained. 
The enormous landed estates haunted his mind. Small men could not 
obtain a foothold in the province. Every acre of government land had 
been granted away to feudal lords; in many instances, in tracts from 
twenty to forty miles square. It had a ruinous outlook. He finally 
leveled a fierce blow at the great landholders by an attempt to break 
all existing grants, and the shaping of a bill, which should be approved in 
England, to prohibit any one person from holding over one thousand acres 
under any circumstances. 

Meanwhile a new Assembly was in contemplation. For months prior 
to the election, the country was canvassed by conspicuous leaders 
of both parties. They rode night and day, defied cold and fatigue, 
and encountered snow-storms and freshets. William Nicolls slept move 
than once under a haystack, and Robert Walters twice swam a swollen 
stream when the ice was breaking. Bellomont removed the sheriffs in 
the different counties, and appointed new ones, such as leaned towards 
the party which he represented, in their stead. The struggle was the 
sharpest ever known at that time in America. In many places on 
the day of election there was fighting and broken heads at the polls. 
The Leislerians were victorious. When some one said to Bellomont, " The 
new members all seem to be Englishmen," he replied with a sarcastic 
smile, "There is Johannes Kip, Rip Van Dam, and Jacobus Van Cort- 
landt ! Their names speak Dutch, and the men scarcely speak English." 
Johannes De Peyster and Jeremias Van Bensselaer were also among 
these elected. 

James Graham was one of those who attached themselves to Bellomont, 
and the warm-hearted Earl placed implicit confidence in him for a time. 
With all his democratic notions the nobleman governor had great respect 
for birth and blood. Graham was the son of the Earl of Montrose, who, 
although a Scotchman, was well known and highly esteemed in England. 
That was his first recommendation. Then, too, he was endowed with 
brilliant intellectual qualities, was witty, chivalrous, communicative, 
overflowed with anecdote, in short, was a man after the Kail's own heart, 
and he enjoyed such society. But Graham was not a friend who could 
be trusted, ami a more cautious and less sincere man than the impulsive 
Bellomont would have sooner found him out. He was the attorney-gen- 



436 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

eral of the province, and had consequently drawn up all the necessary 
papers for Fletcher's land-grants. Inconsistent as it appears, he was one 
of the very first to suggest their illegality. If such was the fact, then 
he alone was responsible, for he understood the forms and methods of 
the province and Fletcher left the whole matter entirely to him. He was 
apparently in entire sympathy with the projects of the Earl, vouchsafed 
much information, said the grants were destructive to the best interests 
of the people, and ought to be broken. He recommended, however, that 
a few should be shattered at first, " as a sort of essay to see how it woidd 
be borne," and the rest destroyed afterwards. It was serious business, but 
Bellomont was undismayed and plunged straight into the fire. Graham 
knew how, like many another adviser since his time, to throw fuel into 
the flames and protect himself. 

He had been chosen speaker of the House, and was ordered to prepare 
the bill for vacating the grants. The first estates under condemnation were, 
two of Dominie Dellius, one of Colonel Bayard, one of Captain Evans, one 
of Caleb Heathcote, and one belonging to Trinity Church. Before the 
subject was brought iuto the council for formal approval, Bellomont 
sent an invitation for Graham to dine with him one day, and remarked, 
among other things, that Colonel William Smith seemed very much averse 
to the passage of such a bill. Graham, to the Earl's astonishment, said 
the thing could not be done at all ; that civil war would ensue shoidd 
it be attempted. The following day Graham called upon the Earl, and 
told how he had found a quarter of meat significantly laid across the sill 
of his door on the previous evening, which none of his servants could ac- 
count for, and which was undoubtedly a menace, meaning that he was to 
be quartered. Bellomont laughed at such nonsensical fears. The same 
day the bill was brought before the council. Three members were for it, 
and three against it, and, as there were only six present, Bellomont gave 
the casting vote. He wrote to the Lords of Trade that the three who 
were against it were the largest landholders in New York, except Dominie 
Dellius. He, with singular honesty of purpose, caused the bill to be so 
worded that his own and all future governors' hands were tied from grant- 
ing any more, or even so much as leasing the demesne of the governor for 
more than his own time in the government. The House added a clause 
to deprive Dominie Dellius also of his benefice at Albany, to which the 
council agreed. While it was being discussed in the Assembly (Iraham 
opposed it, which greatly annoyed Bellomont, since it had been framed 
through his direct instrumentality. It passed the House, however, with 
a large majority. 

The remainder of the grants were shortly to be attacked. Prominent 



DOMINIE DELLIUS. 



437 



among the landgraves was the chief justice of the province, and counselor, 
Colonel William Smith, of St. George's manor, near Brookehaven. It was 
said that he owned over fifty miles of sea-beach, and that Lis land crossed 
the whole breadth of Long Island. He was influential, and Bellomont 
apprehended that he would prove a formidable antagonist, but was fully 
determined to meet the issue. Personally he had no affinity for the cold, 
taciturn, self-righteous ex-governor of Tangier. He did not even respect 
his abilities. He admitted that Smith " had more sense, and was more 
gentlemaidike than any man whom he had seen in the province, but that 
did not make him a lawyer, and he really knew very little about law with 
all his legal pretensions." 

While Bellomont was maturing his policy of grading the hills and 
building up the vales, a terrible commotion was being fomented. Dom- 
inie Dellius had sailed for England, carrying certificates of his piety and 
good life, and a purse for his expenses filled by the members of his church 
in Albany. He went in all confidence to the king, expecting to get the 
Act annulled which deprived him of his broad pastures. At the same 
time the church-wardens and vestry 
of Trinity Church appealed to the 
Bishop of Loudon in the most ear- 
uesl manner, asking his interference 
with the Lords of Trade to prevent 
Bellomont from wresting from them 
their property and rights. They par- 
ticularly commended the great zeal, 
generous liberality, and indefatigable 
industry of Fletcher, who they said 
was the "sole founder, the principal 
promoter, and the most liberal bene- 
factor " of the church; and they 
prayed that the destruction planned 
by one who was .a communicant and 
constant attendant might be averted. 
[lev. Mr. Yesey esteemed himself per- 
sonally aggrieved in the matter. He 
had been on agreeable terms with 
Bellomont, had dined with him often, 
and had driven with him in his coach- 
and-six. The good divine at once left 

the governor and family out of Ids prayers altogether. And what was 
more, he prayed for Dominie Dellius byname each Sunday in tin- sanctu- 




1{n>/l. Q/e/w. 



ortrait and Autograph of Rev 



i Vesey. 



438 HISTOBY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

ary, desiring God to give the latter a safe and prosperous voyage and great 
success with the king. 1 

Bellomont was confounded. He had not intended to injure the wel- 
fare of the church, only to recover the gubernatorial conveniences which 
the church enjoyed. He had, with the consent of the council, settled 
£ 26 per year upon the minister for house-rent ; and it was his intention 
to propose to the Assembly a further settlement of £50 per year upon 
Mr. Vesey, and all his successors in that cure. As things stood he could 
no longer attend divine service in his accustomed place, and he wrote to 
the Bishop petitioning that Mr. Vesey be immediately deprived of ins 
benefice in New York. 

As for Dominie Dellius it is hardly probable that he obtained his In- 
dian lands fraudeutly. He had been an agent among the savages, and 
during the long years of wars and alarms had been of great service to the 
government. At one time he had, in connection with Peter Schuyler and 
one or two others, petitioned Fletcher for liberty to trade with the Mo- 
hawks. Fletcher saw no objection, since the practice of buying large 
estates for a few knives and tobacco-pouches had been in vogue ever since 
New York was first settled ; and, besides, he had been instructed by the 
king to use his own discretion in such matters. A short time subse- 
quently, permission was granted to Dominie Dellius to make a second 
purchase, in which no one was concerned but himself. The sachems 
accepted the price offered, and signed and sealed the instrument of con- 
veyance in the same solemn manner that other Indians had done before 
them. But as soon as Fletcher had gone and Bellomont began his re- 
formatory movements, these treacherous men of the forest complained, 
and said they had been cheated and deceived. Dellius had been an 
active opponent of Leisler, hence appearances were made to tell seriously 
against him by the party in power. Not only his religion, but his morals 
were assailed. The customary epithets of the times, such as " incendi- 
ary " and " liar " and " proud person," were heaped upon him, and it was 
asserted that he did not pray for the king, only for the Crown of England. 

The aristocracy of that decade sustained the clergy, and the clergy sus- 
tained the aristocracy ; and the merchants sustained both the clergy and 
the aristocracy. Their grievances were of a kindred nature. Their cry 
of rage vibrated on one chord. Each sent angry petitions across the 
water asking for Bellomont's recall. 

The Lords of Trade were worse confounded than Bellomont himself. 
With petitions as above filling up their tables, and with the indignant 

1 Vesey Street was named from this clergyman. Church, Chapel, and Rector Streets have 
tin- same clerical origin. 



BELLOMONT' S CHAGRIN. 439 

Bayard, Brooke, and Dellius standing boldly before them in defense of 
rights civil and political, the trial of Fletcher came on and occupied some 
days. The charges against him proved less formidable than had been 
expected before they were subjected to the light of careful analysis. Evi- 
dence was entirely wanting to convict him of any intentional wrong-doing. 
The result of the trial was only an expression of mild disapproval con- 
cerning some of his proceedings. 

Bellomont was deeply chagrined ; the more so when he received a 
friendly caution from the king to beware lest he encourage the Leislerians 
so far that they demand reparation for damages sustained during the 
Eevolution. Such a course would involve property interests and drive 
many important families from the province. Bellomont responded <[iiick- 
ly that he had no idea of such a foolish step. " You must think me oul 
of my wits," he said. At the same time he defined his policy, that since 
many men of the Leislerian party in New York were competent to hold 
office, it was only fair to promote them. 

The Act for breaking the grants was laid on the table for future ci >n- 
sideration by the Lords of Trade, and that was another mortifying cir- 
cumstance. Bellomont wrote as if stung by an asp. He said he had 
only carried out the instructions of the crown, and if he was not sus- 
tained in his course he should resign. He did not desire to have the 
Act to break the two grants of Dellius approved, unless he should lie 
abundantly authorized to go on and break the others, meaning Schuyler's, 
Van Rensselaer's, Livingston's, Van Cortlandt's, Philipse's, — both father's 
and son's, — Smith's, Nicolls's, Beekman's, Morris's, etc. He asked the 
recall of Matthew Clarkson, the secretary of the province, saying that he 
was a " weak man, incapable of business," and that he was heartily tired 
of him. He declared that there was not a man in New York whose 
skill and integrity he could trust, and recommended that George Toilet 
he sent from England to till the vacancy. He complimented the Dutch 
citizens of New York f< a- their honesty, but said the English were quicker 
in accounts and more ready with their pens. As for himself, he said he 
was perpetually in business from nine o'clock in the mornine- until ten at 
night, except during meals, and that it was wearing upon his health and 
strength. 

The Assembly settled the revenue upon the governor for six years, but 
it was not until after a long and tedious dispute. Graham several times 
waited upon Bellomont in the hope of persuading him to accept it for 
three years, and was haughtily rebuked for his pains. A bill passed the 
House during the same session for the building of a poorhouse. Bello- 
mont smiled ironically when the news came to him, and remarked that 



440 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF SEW YORK. 

there was no such thing as a beggar in city or country. And it is a sig- 
nificant fact that in no other part of the king's dominions at that time 
was there so rich a population as in New York. 

About this time Abraham Gouverneur married Mary Leisler, the widow 
of Jacob Milborne. He was a member of the House, and drew up a re- 
monstrance, addressed to the king, which arraigned all the proceedings 
against Leisler and Alilhorne. His intention was to compel Graham, the 
speaker, who had been one of the judges at their trial, and who was es- 
teemed a two-sided politician, to proceed to the council-chamber, attended 
by the whole Assembly, and deliver the document to the governor; in 
case of his refusal, he was to be thrown out of the body. Dr. Staats told 
Bellomont what was in contemrdation. A few moments later Graham 
himself appeared, and with considerable agitation said that he had just 
heard the paper read, and " would sooner be torn in pieces than bring it 
up and read it at the head of the House, for it would be in effect cutting 
his own throat." Bellomont resorted to an artifice to save Graham ; he 
sent for the Assembly, saying he had orders from the king to make Gra- 
ham one of his council, and that they must choose a new speaker. Gou- 
verneur was at once elected to the chair by general acclamation, and 
presented the remonstrance in due form. This movement did not accom- 
plish its object; but it resulted in the disinterment of the remains of 
Leisler and Milborne, and with funeral honors they were given Christian 
burial in the Dutch Church. The service was performed at midnight, in 
presence of twelve hundred or more persons, aud in the midst of a storm 
which was only equaled in fury by the one which deepened the gloom 
at the time of the execution. Order was maintained by a large detach- 
ment of soldiery. 

At the same moment the Dutch Church was tottering upon its foun- 
dation. Bellomont had made an effort to annul the charter on the 
ground of its having been obtained through bribery. The only proof 
shown was that the consistory had on one occasion made Fletcher a 
present of a piece of plate. The charter itself was not agreeable to the 
Leislerians, because it gave the power of calling ministers to the minister 
and consistory. They battled for their old right of congregational vote. 
They carried their quarrels before the Classis of Amsterdam with such 
vigor that the first candidate who was called to act as colleague to Domi- 
nie Selyns declined the honor. The accomplished pastor, under whose 
ministration, since his return from Holland, the church had increased from 
four hundred and fifty to six hundred and fifty members, was growing 
old and must have assistance. The charter prevailed in the end, and the 
Rev. Mr. Du Bois accepted a call, and reached New York in the summer 



BELLOMONT IN BOSTON. 441 

of 1699. The death of Dominie Selyns occurred shortly afterward, and 
his loss was deeply mourned. He was one of the acknowledged founders 
of the Dutch Church in America, and probably did more during his long, 
interesting, and honorable career to determine its position for all the 
future than any other man. 

The time came at length when Bellomont must attend to that part of 
his eommission which constituted him governor of Massachusetts and 
New Hampshire. He made the tiresome overland journey to Boston, 
while overwhelmed with care and perplexity, and suffering acutely with 
the gout in his right hand. He was accompanied by Lady Bellomont and 
a large retinue of servants. He found in each of the Eastern colonies 
two powerful parties, and the Acts of Trade violated and the collection 
of customs at loose ends. He found, too, that Boston was the seat of 
learning and fanaticism, and wondered how the two came to go hand in 
hand. Opposition to his measures was not so manifest as in Xew York, 
owing to the fact of there being less business done. Xew England was 
peopled with intellectual men of small means who wrung their subsist- 
ence from the earth. In the rural districts there was a general appear- 
ance of social equality. Bellomont had never seen anything like it, and 
contrasted it with the manors of New York, — the lords amid their ten- 
antry and negro slaves, and their gilded trappings, coats-of-arms, and 
coaches-and-six. He was running over with democratic theories at the 
same time that all his tastes and habits of life were of the opposite char- 
acter. But democracy was as yet imperfectly understood. 

Boston was charmed with Bellomont. His noble bearing and easy ele- 
gant manners were everywhere admired. Crowds followed him through 
the streets. As in New York, his dinner-table was the resort of politi- 
cians. He instituted and encouraged their visits, but was oftentimes 
dreadfully bored. On one occasion, when his dining-hall was filled with 
Assemblymen from the country who were shabbdy dressed and rough- 
mannered, he remarked aside to Lady Bellomont, " We must treat these 
gentlemen well ; they give us our bread." 

A larger revenue was voted to him in New England than had ever 
before been given to a governor. He favored the party in Massachusetts 
which opposed Dudley. There was comparative harmony in the Gen- 
eral Court when he presided. We are told by historians that lie was 
unparliamentary; he never, it seems, hesitated to propose business, rec- 
ommend committees, or even leave his chair and mingle in the debates. 
In New Hampshire he cpuarreled with the lieutenant-governor (win mi 
he had never liked) about having sent ship-timber to Portugal. At 
the time of the appointment of the latter he had said to Sir Henry 



442 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Ashurst, at whose instance it was done, " You seem to have a strong bias 
for carpenter-governors." 

Bellomont kept his New York affairs constantly in mind during his 
stay in Boston. In one of his letters 1 to Colonel De Abraham Peyster 
he said : — 

" I wish you would tell Mr. Leisler that I can't move the king to get his 
father's debt ordered to be paid for want of government's and other peojsle's 
testimony, on oath, that they saw Captain Leisler's books and that there was 
such a sum due as Dr. Staats and Gouverneur told me ; but the sum they men- 
tioned I have forgot. Let this be done immediately, if they are able to swear 
to it ; it must be drawn up handsomely, that I may transmit it to England." 

A little later he wrote, telling De Peyster, who had been in Boston with 
him for a short time, how high he (De Peyster) stood in the favor and 
good opinion of the New England people, and how much he was missed 
by everybody. He urged the latter " to get Mr. Leisler, Dr. Staats, Mr. 
"Walters, and Mr. Gouverneur together and see if they cannot refresh their 
memories in the matter of the government debt. It will be ridiculous to 
ask the king to refund a debt when I do not know the amount." Lady 
Bellomont corresponded with several of the New York ladies while in 
Boston. At one time we find her desiring Mrs. De Peyster to buy her a 
pearl necklace if she could get one good and cheap. 

Bellomont succeeded in arresting Captain Kidd before he left Boston. 
He had long felt that his honor and that of his government was deeply 
involved, and that the apprehension and punishment of the audacious 
pirate was essential to exculpation in the eyes of the world. Kidd had 
several times visited the American shores. He had buried a portion of 
his treasures on Gardiner's Island, which had afterwards been discovered. 
He fell directly into the trap which Bellomont had laid for him. He was 
sent to England for trial ; he was found guilty ; and he was executed on 
the 12th of May, 1701. His wife and daughter remained in New York, 
and lived in the strictest seclusion. The rumors of buried gold created a 
panic among the dwellers all along the Atlantic coast, and for years there 
was much digging and occasional " clicks of box-lids." But the fever at last 
died away, as have the wild romances and weird legends concerning Kidd. 

When Bellomont returned to New York he wrote to the king that he 
should greatly prefer an honest judge and a trustworthy attorney-general 
to two ships-of-war. He said Graham "had changed his note and 
turned tail " ; that " Mr. Graham in the afternoon was always opposed to 

1 Lord Bellomont to Colonel Abraham De Peyster, August 3, 1699. Miscellaneous Works 
of General J. Watts De Peyster, p. 130. 



THE HANG ING OF POPISH PRIESTS. 



443 



Mr. Graham in the morning," and that he never knew when to depend 
upon his opinions, and was often led into ridiculous follies by him ; 
that Graham never had rendered him any assistance only in the matter 
of hunting up testimony against Fletcher. He also said that piracy was 
on the wane, but he expected New York would be flooded with gold upon 
the arrival of one of Philipse's ships, which was expected. 

About this time the new City Hall was budt upon the site (donated 
by Colonel Abra- 
ham De Peyster), 
of the present 
Custom-House on 
Wall Street, oppo- 
site Broad. David 
Provoost, who was 
the mayor in 1699, 
laid the corner- 
stone. The build- 
ing cost about 
£3,000. The arms 
of the king, also 
the arms of Bello- 
ment and of Nan- 
fan, decorated the 
front. The old City 
Hall, which was in Clt v »""• Wa " s,ree <- 

an advanced state of decay, was sold to John Eodman for £ 920. 

Public scavengers were first instituted this year, and two new market- 
houses were erected. Of the latter, one was on the corner of Coentis Slip 
and the other at the foot of Broad Street. A powder-house was built by 
the corporation, and in view of the recent Act of the Assembly in pro- 
viding for a poor-house, a small building was hired where sick paupers 
might go for care and medical attention. The Brooklyn ferry was in- 
spected and re-leased for seven years, and a ferry-house decided upon, 
which was subsequently erected. The rate of fare was established by 
law: it was eight stuyvers in wampum, or a silver twopence for a single 
person; half that sum each, when a number of persons traveled in com- 
pany; one shilling for a horse ; twopence for a hog (same as for a man) ; 
one penny for a sheep ; and after sunset double ferriage for all. The 
dock was leased to Philip French for £40 per annum. 

The Assembly met in the summer of 1700, but the business was un- 
important and the session a short one. One law was enacted, however, 




444 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

which will never be i - ead but with abhorrence. It was to hang every 
Popish priest who came voluntarily into the province of New York. 
Cruel and unaccountable as it appears, we have but to review 
the situation and dwell for a moment upon the bloody wars to the 
north, and the supposed tampering of the Jesuit emissaries with the 
Indians, to find cause for a measure rather of state policy than persecu- 
tion. In directing severe penalties against the priests, the legislators 
fancied they were warding off the blows of the tomahawk. 

The Board of Trade, consisting of a president and seven members, (the 
first in New York, and which had been established about three years,) 
should have exercised an immediate supervision over the commerce of 
the colony. It made the attempt, but the persistent violation of the 
revenue and other laws drove it to stringent measures, and it conse- 
cmently became as odious to the merchants as Bellomont himself. The 
latter interposed so many obstacles in the way of business that the Lon- 
don merchants were aroused and petitioned the king in behalf of the 
aggrieved people of New York. While it was under consideration an- 
other petition, praying to be reinstated in peace, safety, and prosperity, 
appeared, signed by thirty-three New York merchants, among whom 
were Nicholas Bayard, Philip French, Gabriel Minvielle, Pip Van Dam, 
Charles Lodwyck, Stephen De Lancey, Brandt Schuyler, Jacobus Van 
Cortlandt, David Jamison, and Elias Boudiuot. There were thirty-two 
distinct accusations against Bellomont. The thirty-second was to the 
effect that the governor, in order to justify his arbitrary proceedings, had 
vilely slandered eminent and respectable persons ; he had accused them 
of piracy and of trading with pirates, which was wholly false. The only 
ground he had ever had for such suspicions was that some of the rich 
gentlemen of New York owned ships which went to Madagascar for 
negroes, and sometimes met with India goods which they could buy at 
easy rates, but always gave true account of the same. 

Before these papers were sent to England, the governors of Pennsyl- 
vania and Maryland tried to bring about a reconciliation between Bello- 
mont and the merchants. Bellomont was irritated, and said he had no 
advances to make, unless it could be proven that he had acted contrary 
to law ; if the merchants expected him to be reconciled and indulge them 
in unlawful trade and piracy, they would find themselves mistaken, for 
he should be " as steady as a rock on that point." He thought it was 
hard on him that the landholders should not have received their doom ; 
he should expect insolence until the Act was ratified in England, "and 
until all who had obtained land by wholesale were brought under proper 
limits." 



BELLOMONT S HARD SHU'S. 445 

It was confidently asserted in New York that Bellomont was to be 
recalled, and some went so far as to say that Fletcher had been com- 
missioned as his successor. This caused a disaffection among the Leis- 
lerians, and a number went over to the aristocracy. Bellomont was quite 
indifferent about being called home, and declared that no malice could 
spot his reputation. A letter from the Bishop of Loudon to Rev. Mr. 
Vesey, however, cut him to the heart. The good divine seemed to 
have espoused the cause of Fletcher ; he told the people of Trinity 
Church that " by Easter they would be rid of their grievances." "Ah.'" 
said Bellomont, " if I am to find my services slighted in England, I may 
well be troubled." 

The Lords of Trade had really taken no action in the matter. The con- 
tradictory stories perplexed them. They wrote a cheerful letter of en- 
couragement to Bellomont, and appointed Judge Atwood and Attorney- 
General Broughton to go to his relief and assistance. They were a long 
time, however, in reaching New York. Bellomont was impatient with the 
delay, and said "the way some people shirked their duty and stayed away 
from their posts was intolerable." As for Weaver, who had loitered in Eng- 
land nearly three years, the governor asked the Lords to send him imme- 
diately home : and at the same time he informed them that Major Ingolds- 
by hail been in London four years, leaving his wife and children to starve, 
— the latter had now gone to stay at Judge Pinhorne's in New Jersey. 
Hungerford, who, on account of relationship, had been appointed assistant 
collector of the customs, was in jail, having "played the fool and worse." 
Augustine Graham (son of James Graham) had been suspended from 
the office of adjutant-general, " because," said Bellomont, " I esteem him a 
superfluous charge to the government." He was accused of intemperance, 
and Bellomont remarked "that the son would become sober when the 
father became honest." Lieutenant-Governor Nanfan was at Barbadoes, 
looking after his wife's fortune. Peter Schuyler never attended the meet- 
ings of the council, owing to the pressure of his duties in Albany. Robert 
Livingston could only come to New York at certain seasons of the year. 
Chief Justice Smith's home was a. hundred miles away, ami he was rarely 
present. Graham was at his country-seat near Morrisania, eight miles 
from the city, and was "either sick or sullen, for he had not shown him- 
self for five months." It was thus that Bellomont pictured his hardships 
in being obliged to attend to the business of others as well as his own, and 
asked for an increase of salary. He expressed himself greatly hurt at 
having been "so pushed at," for supposed complicity with Captain Kidd, 
and said it was a cruelty that every honest man who served the king 
should have his name torn and villified. 



446 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

In the early part of January, 1701, Bellomont publicly removed Gra- 
I70I . ham from the offices of attorney-general and city recorder. He 
January. might have spared his former friend this infliction, and said he 
should have done so had he known his illness was of a serious character. 
Graham was dying, having been suffering from a serious malady ever 
since his last visit to the council-chamber. He lived but a few days after 
he was informed of the action of the governor. His large estate near 
Morrisania was divided equally among his six children. Of his manner 
of life a passing glimpse is handed along to us in his will, which makes 
mention of an overseer, two white servants, and thirty negro slaves. 

In November, prior to the death of Graham, Hon. Stephanus Van 
Cortlandt had finished his eventful career. Bellomont felt his loss keenly. 
Although they differed in opinions upon almost every important subject 
which came up for discussion in the council, they were warm personal 
friends. Van Cortlandt had borne his years well, and was an excellent 
public officer. His liberal views and large charities had greatly facilitated 
the growth and prosperity of New York. His last sleep was full of 
honors. His place in the council -was filled by William Lawrence, who 
was pronounced "a man of good estate and honest understanding." 

In the latter part of February, Bellomont was attacked with the 
gout, to which he had been subject for years ; but with characteris- 
tic energy he for several days dictated communications to the various 
parts of his government, and, regardless of physical pain, wrote one or two 
letters with his own hand. He grew worse, and on the 5th of 
' March ended his arduous and unsatisfactory labors, at the age of 
sixty-five. His death caused a. profound sensation. A general fast was 
observed throughout the province. He was interred with appropriate 
ceremonies in the chapel in the fort. When that structure was leveled in 
1790, his leaden coffin was tenderly removed and deposited in St. Paul's 
churchyard. 

Lady Bellomont remained in New York about a year and a half after 
the death of her husband, and then returned to England, where she sub- 
sequently married again. In her deep affliction she received the constant 
attention and sympathy of Mrs. Abraham De Peyster, and Mrs. Stephanus 
Van Cortlandt, — Lady Van Cortlandt, as she was then styled. The coach 
of the latter, with its outriders wearing badges of mourning, made frequent 
trips between the manor-house and city, although the ladies and their ser- 
vants were much oftener seen wending their way through the woods on 
horseback. Anne, the daughter of Van Cortlandt, had been married, a few 
months before the death of the latter, to Stephen De Lancey, 1 and was now 

1 Stephen De Lancey soon afterward built a large elegant homestead upon land conveyed to 



DEATH OF LOUD BELLOMONT. 447 

presiding over a pretentious mansion of her own on Broadway near Trinity 
Church. De Lancey was one of the merchants who had writhed under 
the imputation of piracy, and hated Bellomont with fiery intensity ; hut it 
did not prevent his beautiful bride from showing the utmost kindness to 
the bereaved widow. 

W hat the results of Bellomont's policy might have been must ever re- 
main a mystery. Few have been incited by more conscientious motives 
in their efforts to administer justice. His errors were chiefly in judg- 
ment; he allowed noble and praiseworthy impulses to carry him beyond 
the bounds of common prudence. But through his instrumentality piracy 
received a check from which it never had vitality enough to recover, and 
although he did not succeed in destroying the political influence and in 
lowering the social position of the gentry of the province, he did advance 
men who might not otherwise have had their talents recognized, and he pro- 
duced something more nearly approximate to a common level than any 
one individual ever accomplished either before or since his time. Few 
would have had the courage to have raised an arm against so many 
adversaries, rarely another could have done so without falling in the fray. 
His death was the source of fresh troubles, and the only wonder is that 
New York did not resolve into a state of hopeless anarchy. 1 

him by his father-in-law, Stephanas Van Cortlandt, on the corner of Broad and Dock, now 
Broad and Pearl Streets. This same edifice attained celebrity at a much later period, as 
" Fraunces' Tavern." Cliamber of Commerce Records, by John Austin Stevens, 307, 308. 

1 In my account of the brief administration of Lord Bellomont, as in many other instan- 
ces, I abstain from citing authorities, because my authorities are too numerous to cite. My 
information has been derived, not only from the sources open to every student of history, but 
from thousands of old letters, sermons, tracts, records of trials, wills, and other musty and 
forgotten documents. 



448 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

1701-1710. 

COLONEL WILLIAM SMITH. 

Colonel William Smith. —Conflict in the Council — Lieutenant-Governor Nan- 
fan. — Illegal Voting. — Robert Livingston in Disgrace. — Mrs. Gertrude Van 
cortlandt. — the clty elections. — extraordinary confusion. — mayor noell. 
— Chief Justice Atwood. — Manor-House of Caleb Heathcote. — Trial of Nich- 
olas Bayard for Treason. — Death of William III. — Lord Cornbury. — Bay- 
ard's Sentence reversed. — The Yellow Fever. — The Church Quarrel. — Lady 
Bellomont. — The Leisler Bill. — Death of Frederick Philipse. — Philipse 
Manor. — Philipse Will. — The French Church. — Trinity Church. — Queen 
Anne. — Excitements. — The Treasurer of the Province. — Death of Lady 
Cornbury. — Lord Cornbury and the two Presbyterian Ministers. — The As- 
sembly of 1708. — Spirited Resolutions. — Lord Lovelace. — First Paper Money 
in New York. — Five Indian Chiefs at Queen Anne's Court. —The Silver Vase 
presented to Schuyler by Queen Anne. 

THE sadness which fell like a pall over New York upon the death 
of Lord Bellomont was quickly pierced by a clash in the political 
, arena. Lieutenant-Governor Nanfan was in Barbadoes, and the 

1701. 

government was without a head. Colonel William Smith has- 

March 5 

tened to New York, but, owing to recent storms and swollen 
streams, he did not arrive until the 11th. The ice was just breaking 

in the Hudson Rivter, which prevented Peter Schuyler and 

Robert Livingston from reaching the city until the 21st of the 
month. 

Without waiting for the two latter, the council met to consider what 

steps to take in the emergency. Colonel Smith claimed the chair 

March 12. _ ° J 

by virtue of being the oldest member. The four other gentlemen 
present — Abraham De Peyster, Dr. Staats, Robert Walters, and Thomas 
Weaver — thought a vote should be taken and the majority decide the 
question. Smith said it was " an odd and doubtful way of proceeding," 
and since New York had never been so circumstanced before they must 
look to other of the king's plantations for a precedent in the matter. The 
discussion grew interesting and considerable heat was manifested. Smith 



CONFLICT IN THE COUNCIL. 449 

wrote out his opinion, and it was twice read before the meeting. They 
finally separated and came together again the next morning. A 
written reply to Smith's arguments was produced and read. It 
declared that one member had no more power than another, and that 
when the majority saw tit to meet as a council for the transaction of 
public business they should notify Smith, and if he refused to meet with 
them, they should act in the administration of the government without 
him. De Peyster acted as President of the Council. 

The spirit and tone of the document offended Smith, but he maintained 
his position. After a long session the gentlemen separated without hav- 
ing arrived at any settlement. The next day and the next was but a 
repetition of the same. The question also came up as to whether the 
Assembly ought to sit on the 2d of April, the day specified at the time 
of their prorogation. Smith was inclined to believe that the Assembly 
was actually dissolved by the governor's death. Some of the gentlemen 
were so earnest in pressing for the meeting of the Assembly that Smith 
suspected they designed attempting to pass bills of private consequence, 
which Belloimmt had only been prevented from doing by the superior 
discernment of the Lords of Trade. Such was the fact, as subsequent 
events proved. The Leisler family had never rested in the matter of 
securing an Act of the Legislature of the province to sustain them in 
instituting suits for damages, claimed to have been sustained during the 
revolution, and their estimates were alarmingly exorbitant. The wife 
of Robert Walters was Leisler's daughter, and she inherited her father's 
persistence in a purpose, as well as her share of the estate. It is easy 
to see why "Walters was anxious to seize the opportunity to further her 
wishes and increase his own possessions. Dr. Staats had been one of 
Leisler's council, and had always advocated the exaction of some terrible 
retribution for the murder of two innocent men. Weaver was a new 
man in New York, and one of those blundering and shallow persons who 
always talk loudly, particularly upon those subjects which they least un- 
derstand, and who are usually restrained with difficulty from talking all 
the time. The speaker of the Assembly was Abraham Gouverneur. who 
had not only suffered himself, hut his wife was Leisler's daughter, and 
was doubly interested through her father and her first husband. This 
was certainly an opportune moment for carrying a long-determined plan 
into execution. 

Schuyler and Livingston at last put in their appearance. They at once 
took the ground which had been held so valiantly by Smith. Liv- 

...... .March 21. 

lngston had, in the earlier part of Bellomont's administration, sided 

with the Leislerians. But it was more from personal regard for the gov- 



450 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

ernor than for any sympathy in their cause. The Kidd affair, in which 
he had been accused of sequestering piratical treasures to a large amount, 
had produced coolness between himself and Bellomont. The remarkable 
interests now at stake brought him into his old groove. There was a 
sharpening of sabers anil a rush to mortal combat. It was three against 
four, De Peyster being in sympathy with the Leislerians. The scheme 
of revenge was charged squarely upon the latter. In turn Livingston and 
Schuyler were accused of defrauding the government, and Smith was in- 
formed that he was considered a dangerous man by the late governor, 
and was just about to have been ousted from the council. Colonel Smith 
had actually been deprived of the office of chief justice in December, 
and De Peyster had been invested with the dignity — during the interim, 
until the arrival of Atwood — simply for necessary process without being 
expected to judge in any rause. The eloquent vituperation and stinging 
sarcasm which echoed from wall to wall in the council-chamber was un- 
equalled in history. The clamor of the angry disputants was so loud and 
threatening that people in the neighborhood spread an alarm. Weaver 
outdid all the rest in the elevation of his voice and in the originality of 
his ideas. He said if the rest of the four were of his mind, they " would 
put those who would not submit to the majority fast in irons and chains," 
for it was nothing more or less than rebellion. 

The Assembly met on the 2d of April, but owing to the quarrel 
in the council adjourned from day to day. Both parties sent a 
written explanation of the controversy to the House, and it was decided 
that the council had the right to govern by majority of voices. But in 
view of the irreconcilable nature of the singular affair the House ad- 
journed until June. Meanwhile Nanfan arrived. There was no 
' longer any question of pre-eminence, for, according to the provis- 
ion in Bellomont's commission, the lieutenant-governor was now the 
commander-in-chief. Other questions arose, however, of even graver mo- 
ment, and the spirit of antagonism increased to an unprecedented degree. 
The Lords of Trade had advised Nanfan to avoid engaging himself 
" in the heats and animosities of parties," aud in all things to use mod- 
eration. He attempted obedience, and his first act was to dissolve the 
Assembly and order a new election. The energy and tact of each party 
were brought into full play, and the contest was one of the most bitter 
and demoralizing that ever occurred in New York. There was illegal 
voting everywhere. The elections were sharply disputed. The Leisler- 
ians were in the majority ; when they came to choose a speaker for the 
House there was another painful disturbance. Out of twenty-one mem- 
bers, of which the House was composed, ten voted for Abraham Gouver- 



MBS. STEM ANUS VAN CORTLANDT. 4ol 

neur and nine for William Nieolls. The minority undertook to prove 
that Gouverneur was an alien, for which several of the gentlemen were 
prosecuted. On the other hand, it was charged that Nieolls and Wessells 
were not properly qualified to act as members, because they were not 
actual residents of the counties where they were elected. They both 
retired from the House in anger, and sent written complaints of their 
treatment to England. 

The oaths were administered to the Assemblymen by Atwood (who 
had arrived and been made one of the counselors), De Peyster, and 

' J Aug. 19. 

Livingston. Two days later Nanfan named a committee, by urgent 

Aug 21 

request from certain sources, to audit the public accounts. It con- 
sisted of Atwood, De Peyster, Dr. Staats, and Robert Walters, who wen: 
to meet a committee from the House at the residence of Roger Baker. It 
was a proceeding aimed directly at Robert Livingston. It was pretended 
that he had never accounted for the public money which he bad formerly 
received out of the excise. He indignantly refused to appear before this 
tribunal. His conduct was pronounced " a determination not to render 
an account," although it was well known that his books and vouchers 
were in the hands of the government and detained from him. The two 
committees unanimously recommended that a bill be passed the House 
for the confiscation of his real and personal estate to the value of as much 
debt to the crown as could be charged to him. 

A few days later Mrs. Stephanus Van Cortlandt was summoned before 
the auditing committee to pay an alleged deficit in her late hus- 

5 ' J . Sept. 9. 

band's accounts to the amount of £ 530. She took no notice of 
the mandate. She even withheld the books and papers when they were 
demanded. Quite an excitement was fomented on her account, but she 
stood out as fearlessly against threats as she had done in the time of the 
Revolution. She believed her husband to have been perfectly upright, 
and was determined to prevent his memory from being sullied through 
the implacable malice of the party in power. She hoped, too, that before 
matters came to a crisis a new governor and a new order of things might 
bless New York. Suits were instituted against her, but Lord Cornbury 
came just in time to save her from being publicly annoyed. Her resolute 
course of action was attributed largely to the influence of Nicholas Bayard, 
whose son Samuel had recently married her daughter Margaret, and the 
famdies were more intimate if possible than ever. She was supposed, 
too, to be very much under the guidance of Livingston, whose wife was 
her sister Alida, and who stayed chiefly at her house when in New York. 
Both suppositions were alike incorrect and did the lady injustice. She 
was a responsible, capable, and efficient member of s6ciety, abundantly 
able to judge and act for herself 



452 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Nanfan informed the .auditing committee, that while in Albany, in con- 
ference with the sachems of the Five Nations, just after his arrival from 
Barbadoes, the Indians had expressed great affection for Livingston, and 
desired that he should be sent to Europe to procure them some favors. 
The committee summoned Livingston before them, and this time he ap- 
peared. They told him that it had been made to appear thai he had 
used siime undue influence in prevailing upon the Indians to signify their 
pleasure that he should visit the king in their behalf; but that he could, 
if he thought proper, take a voluntary oath to clear himself from censure. 
Livingston was too well acquainted with English law and liberty to abet 
such insolence. He knew that there was not a shadow of proof against 
him. He contemptuously replied that he " did not think it worth his 
while." 

The House immediately addressed Nanfan with a petition to be for- 
warded to the king for the removal of Livingston from the office of Sec- 
retary of Indian Affairs. A bill was prepared, obliging Livingston to 
account, which was passed, with an amendment by Nanfan, to the effect 
that time should be given him until the 25th of March, 1702. 

Other bills passed, but the one entitled " An Act for the pay- 
' ment of the debts of the government made in the late happy Rev- 
olution," was delayed clay after day by the persistent opposition of the 
minority. Finally young Leisler went to Nanfan with a petition that it 
might receive immediate consideration. Nanfan received him graciously, 
but coolly remarked that the Assembly had been sitting a long time, and 
the remaining bills must all be dismissed until the next session. The 
same afternoon he prorogued the House until the third Tuesday in 
March. 

The city elections were as disorderly as those of the province. Both 
parties seemed lost to all sense of honor and decency. There was as, 
much illegal as legal voting, and several bloody skirmishes among in- 
dividuals. At last there was a violent dispute about which party had 
really won. As there were to be six aldermen and six assistants, should 
party division be equal, Thomas Noell, the new mayor, who belonged to 
the aristocracy, would have the casting vote. But the Leislerians claimed 
the victory, and, departing from the customary method, were severally 
sworn in by the retiring mayor, who was of their own party. 

Mayor Noell was sworn, as usmd, before the governor and council, and 
then repaired, in company with the elected aldermen, to Trinity Church 
to listen to an appropriate discourse by Rev. Mr. Vesey. From there they 
proceeded in solemn state to the City Hall, where the bell was rung, 
Mayor Noell published his commission and took the chair. The retiring 



EXTRAORDINARY CONFUSION. 453 

mayor, De Riemer, arose and gracefully presented him with the city 
charter and seal. Abraham Gouverneur was city recorder, and took his 
seat by the mayor. Noell told the clerk to proceed with the ceremony 
of swearing in the members elect. Several responded, as their names 
were called, by saying they had been sworn in already. Shunts of " It 
cannot be done," and "It is not according to law," caused great confusion. 
There were crowds of citizens present, and all talked together, until the 
hubbub was deafening. Some declared that no one could be legally sworn 
by the old mayor, and others with equal emphasis maintained the right 
by law. Not only voices but fists were raised, and the uproar became of 
such magnitude that Mayor Noell apprehended a fight and arose and dis- 
solved the meeting. 

Noell declined to sit with aldermen, as a common council, who refused 
to he sworn by him. And as the common council was the only legal au- 
thority for scrutinizing disputed elections, the city was in danger of being 
without a government. The urgency of the case induced Noell to take 
upon himself the responsibility of appointing four men in each ward to 
inspect returns. The Leislerians whom he placed on these committees 
refused to serve. They pronounced the proceeding irregular, and claimed 
that the common council could only judge of the qualifications of its own 
members. The remainder of the committees went on with their labors, 
and returned the names of all the voters in the disputed wards, with the 
men for whom they had severally voted. It was found that the aristo- 
cratic party were in the majority. 

Mayor Noell then called a meeting at the City Hall to swear in the new 
aldermen. Those who would be displaced by such action joined 
them, and they all marched along the streets and entered the hall 
together. They took their seats side by side, with angry determination 
resting upon their countenances. Mayor Noell arose, and said he should 
use mi violence to eject those who had no business there, and went on 
swearing in such as had been legally chosen. Voices were meanwhile 
protesting from every part of the hall. The clerk administered the oaths 
amid a deafening roar of tongues, and when the mayor proceeded to the 
transaction of business, all took part with audacious effrontery until the 
confusion became so great that he adjourned the Board for two weeks. 
The case went before the Supreme Court, which decided upon an 

Dec. 29. 

equal division of the aldermen and assistants between the two 
parties. As Mayor Noell and Recorder Gouverneur were opposed, the 
Board stood equally divided. 

With Chief Justice Atwood came Attorney-General Broughton from 
England. A round of dinners and entertainments was given these gen- 



454 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

tlemen, which, together with the great heat of the summer, caused Brough- 
ton a severe fit of illness. He had a family of eight, and houses were so 
scarce that he could find no accommodations except in crowded lodgings. 
He finally wrote to the Lords of Trade for special permission to occupy 
one of Captain Kidd's vacant dwellings. He also petitioned that the 
office of surveyor-general might be given to his son, in case Augustine 
Graham, who had sailed for England to settle his father's estate, should 
resign. 

Weaver, as collector of the customs, made himself offensive to men of 
all classes and opinions. He collided with the merchants concerning the 
Acts of Trade so perpetually, that he was more cordially hated than any 
other man who had ever filled the position. When he meddled with poli- 
tics his dogmatic assertions and shallow understanding were brought so 
conspicuously into the foreground, that even his best friends said he was 
enough to ruin any cause. 

During this autumn Madame Sarah Knight journeyed from Boston to 
New York on horseback, and wrote some very pleasant notes about her trip. 
She was obliged to ford some rivers, and cross others in a frail scow, and as 
for taverns, there were no such conveniences as yet along the route. She 
was a woman of culture as well as courage, and deeply interested in the 
progress and development of the country. As she approached Mamaroneck 
she was surprised to find so much of the land under successful cultiva- 
tion, and good buildings erected. Presently she came to the manor-house 
of Colonel Caleb Heathcote, with its broad lawns, handsome gardens, ele- 
gant shade-trees, and great deer-park after the most approved English 
fashion. As for New Eochelle, she pronounced it a " clean, pretty place, 
where many French gentlemen of learning resided, and where were pass- 
able roads, and a bridge broad enough for a cart." 

The city of New York was so very unlike Boston, that she regarded it 
with special interest. The half-blending of Dutch and English customs, 
the confusion of tongues, the variety of fashions, and the different styles 
of equipage attracted and amused her. She said, " the prevailing style of 
architecture was plain," the brick buildings were chiefly " in divers colors 
laid in checks and glazed." The inside, as far as she had an opportunity 
of judging, was more elaborate than the outside, and neat to a fault. The 
hearthstones usually extended far into the room and were laid with tiles ; 
the staircases were highly ornamented. The streets of the city were gen- 
erally paved to the width of ten feet from the fronts of the houses on each 
side of the way, while the center was constructed to serve the double pur- 
pose of gutter and sewer. A few " brick pathways " were the only side- 
walks. Broadway was shaded with beautiful trees on either side. 



NEW YORK IN 1704. 455 

The judicial jurisdiction of Chief Justice Atwood exteuded over New 
England, but he was not well received in the courts. He was many times 
affronted in the most premeditated manner. While attempting to sup- 
press illegal trade in Boston he had a sharp conflict with the son of Rob- 
ert Livingston, who had a vessel wrecked off the coast, filled with wines, 
brandies, and other European commodities. And he was instrumental in 
seizing the cargo of a vessel belonging to Samuel Vetch, afterwards gov- 
ernor of Nova Scotia, whose wife was Margaret, the daughter of Robert 
Livingston. 



As for Robert Livingston himself, he was vilified, accused, and threatened 
on every side. Party ingenuity was constantly at work devising new 
ways for blackening his character. There were grounds for complaint 
against him, but insufficient to warrant the wholesale defamation to 
which he was subjected. And equally virulent were the attacks upon 
Colonel Nicholas Bayard, whose power as a political leader was well 
understood. The passage of the Leisler Bill, as it was called, was a fore- 
gone conclusion with the Leislerians, hence a proclamation was issued, 
ordering every person concerned to bring in claims and losses for settle- 
ment. The inventory that followed was a most extraordinary mathe- 
matical production, as might have been predicted. One old gun, and a 
small rusty sword, seized by Governor Sloughter, were together valued at 
£ 40 ; and hundreds of similar items might be cited. 

The proceeding created intense excitement. The aggrieved appealed 
to the king, asking for a governor — one who understood the principles 



456 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

of government, and whose sentiments were in unison with those of Par- 
liament. An address of congratulation was also prepared to forward to 
Lord Cornbury, who, it was reported, had been chosen to succeed Bello- 
mont. These papers were burdened with over six hundred signatures, 
among which were those of the leading men of the aristocratic party. The 
movement was conducted with great secrecy ; but it was discovered by 
Nanfan and the members of his council, who styled it " A CONSPIRACY." 
They said it was done to intimidate them from the performance of duty. 
Notwithstanding petitions had been the acknowledged right of English- 
men for ages, Chief Justice Atwood claimed that the present was a case 
of " sedition and rebellion." The most persistent effort was made by the 
government to secure the papers or their copies. Several persons were 
arrested and brought before the council, and by means of threats and 
promises the information was at last obtained, that the documents had 
been signed at a coffee-house kept by Captain Hutchings, one of the city 
aldermen. It also appeared that Colonel Bayard and his son Samuel 
were concerned. Hutchings and the two Bayards were accordingly 
summoned before Nanfan and the council, and examined. The result 
was unsatisfactory, since no new facts were elicited ; Hutchings was 
committed to jail for not producing the papers, and Colonel Bayard and 
his son were compelled to enter into bonds to the amount of £ 1,500 each, 
to answer to an indictment to be filed against them in the Supreme Court. 

A consultation took place the next day among the signers of the 
papers. It was unanimously decided that there was nothing whatever in 
the transaction contrary to the plain English law. Consequently Colonel 
Bayard, Rip Van Dam, Philip French, and Thomas Wenham signed an 
appeal, addressed to the governor and council, asking for the release of 
Hutchings, who could not produce the papers, because they were not in 
his possession. The petitioners frankly admitted that they held the 
documents, hut denied any disloyalty Chief Justice Atwood denounced 
the haughtiness in the tone of the communication. Dr. Staats and 
Robert Walters read and re-read and weighed the language of the peti- 
tioners, sentence by sentence. What could this passage mean ? — " and 
another address to my Lord Cornbury, whom we understand by certain 
advice we have received from England to be nominated by his Majesty 
to succeed the late Earl of Bellomont." Was not such an expression 
literally disowning and casting off the authority of Lieutenant-Governor 
Nanfan ? Nanfan himself did not so interpret it. But then, he was only 
the figure-head of the administration. Weaver saw more clearly through 
the film, and detected what he styled " an infernal plot." 

Before noon of the same day Colonel Nicholas Bayard was arrested for 



TRIAL OF NICHOLAS BAYARD FOl! TREASON. 457 

" High Treason," and committed to prison. The city militia were placed 
on guard above his cell, to prevent his being rescued by enraged friends. 

Philip French and Thomas Wenham were given six days in 1702- 
which to produce the "treasonable addresses." They declined, Jan. 
and, not relishing the prospect of imprisonment, quietly left the province. 
Attorney-General Broughton saw no sufficient ground fur the commitment 
of any of the petitioners; he was ordered with considerable asperity to 
give his reasons in writing for such an opinion. He did so, and Chief 
Justice Atwood was highly indignant, and ordered the grand jury of the 
Supreme Court to bring a presentment against him tor neglect of duty; 
Weaver, as solicitor-general, put it into a formal indictment. 

Bayard and Hutchings were arraigned, indicted, ami tried for 
high treason. They petitioned for a postponement of tin- trial 
until the usual sitting of the Supreme Court, but, instead, a special oourt 
was ordered for February 19. Samuel Bayard prayed earnestly that his 
father alight have a jury composed of Englishmen. This, too, was with- 
out avail. Chief Justice Atwood was on the bench, and the associate 
judges were Colonel Abraham De Peyster and Robert Walters. Weaver 
was the prosecuting attorney, and insisted upon sitting with the jury. 
When the gentlemen of the jury differed from him materially in opinion, 
he threatened "to have them trounced." William Nicolls and James 
Eniott appeared for the defense. They were both remarkable lawyers 
for the times in which they lived, but their sound reasoning and elo- 
quence were wasted on this occasion, the prisoners having been con- 
demned in advance by both judge and jurors. 

Bayard pleaded " Not Guilty " to the charge of having conspired to 
produce mutiny among the king's soldiers by persuading them to sign 
"libels" against the government, and to the other treasonable acts specified. 
The defense attempted to show that the addresses were the opposite i >f 
treasonable, their design being simply to prove to the Lords of Ti 
that the signers were neither "Jacobites" nor "pirates." as laid been rep- 
resented, but good and loyal subjects ready to give up lives and fortunes 
at any moment in the king's service. 

Weaver, in a violent speech, charged the Englishmen of New York 
with trying to introduce popery and slavery into the province, and pro- 
nounced Bayard the leader. He said they were a band of pirates, and 
had offered the late Lord Bellomont £ 10,000 to connive at their infamy. 
At one stage of the trial Nicolls moved for an adjournment until the 
next morning. " No," responded the chief justice, " we do not propose to 
give Mr. Vesey a chance for another sermon against us." The foreman 
of the jury was the brother of one of the judges upon the bench. When 



458 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the case was turned over to them, they were absent from the room but 
a few minutes before returning with a verdict of Guilty. 

Chief Justice Atwood immediately proceeded to pronounce the hor- 
rible English sentence upon traitors then in full force. 

Bayard applied to Nanfan for a reprieve until his Majesty's pleasure 
should be known. This was denied unless he should acknowledge himself 
guilty of the crime of treason. Six several petitions were in like manner 
rejected by the lieutenant-governor. The governor and prominent gen- 
tlemen of the neighboring provinces interceded, but to no purpose. The 
day of execution was fixed. Of this he was duly notified and placed in 
irons. He was forbidden to see bis wife, children, or other relatives. 
Finally friends drew up a petition worded so as to express his sincere 
sorrow for the offense of signing the addresses and encouraging others to 
sign, and begging pardon for the same. This, at the last moment, ob- 
tained a reprieve, but it did not liberate him from prison. Hutchings, 
however, was released on bail. 

On the very day that Colonel Bayard was being denounced as a 
traitor, William III. of England was finishing his brilliant career. 
He had reigned a few days over thirteen years. His death would have 
been a great stroke to the nation at any time, but at this particular epoch 
nothing could have been more unfortunate. The insult of Louis XIV., 
who, upon the death of James II., a few months before, had proclaimed 
that ex-monarch's doubtful son king of England, rendered another war 
inevitable. William had formed a great alliance, and was about to con- 
summate a critical scheme of warfare. He desired to live a little longer ; 
and yet he met death with calmness and without fear. He expressed his 
firm faith in the Christian religion, and received the sacrament. His 
last act was to take the hand of one of his earliest friends and press it to 
his heart. When his remains were prepared for the coffin it was found 
that he wore next to his skin a small piece of black silk ribbon. The 
lords in waiting ordered it to be taken off! It contained a gold ring and a 
lock of the hair of Mary. 

The crown, pursuant to previous Act of Parliament, devolved on Anne, 
the youngest daughter of King James by his first marriage. She was 
then in the thirty-eighth year of her age. The Privy Council waited 
upon her in a body, and she received them in a well-considered speech, 
which she pronounced with great distinctness and effect. The coronation 
took place on the 23d of April (St. George's Day) ; and Dr. Sharp, the 
Archbishop of York, preached an appropriate sermon on the occasion. 
The Queen immediately gave orders for naming the electress of Bruns- 
wick, in the collect for the royal family, as the next heir to the crown, 
and she formed a ministry. 



LORD CORNBURY. 459 

Meanwhile the New York Assembly met in March and hastened to 
pass the celebrated Leisler Act. A bill was also worried through the 
House, in spite of determined opposition, to outlaw Philip Freni h and 
Thomas Wenham. The other business consisted of the passage of an Act 

to increase the number of assemblymen by five ; of an Act to continue 
the revenue two years lunger; and of several Acts of minor importance. 
The House continued its sessions both night and day in order to accom- 
plish all that was desired before the possible arrival of a new governor. 
A jury nf inquiry returned estimates concerning Livingston's property, 
and under the conditions of an Act passed in .September, the whole of 
his estate, real and personal, was confiscated, and he was deprived of his 
seat in the council and of all his other offices. 

An arrival of importance created another sensation while the city 
was astir with these remarkable proceedings, it was Lord Vis- 
count Cornbury, and he landed with much fuss and ceremony. All 
the prominent men gave him an eager if not a cordial welcome. The 
city corporation entertained him with a grand banquet. His commission 
as governor of New York was duly published, and his counselors sworn 
into office. His first business was to issue two proclamations; one for 
continuing all civil and military officers in their present positions until 
further notice, and the second for dissolving the Assembly. 

Edward Hyde, Lord Cornbury, was the grandson of the Earl of Clar- 
endon — the Lord Chancellor and Prime Minister of Charles II. — and 
the son of the present Earl of Clarendon, who was the brother-in-law of 
James II. Thi^s the new governor of New York was the first cousin 
of Queen Anne, and heir to an earldom. He had been one of the fore- 
most in setting an example of defection in King James's army by leading 
a large body of cavalry, of which he was in command, to the camp of 
William. He had ever since held important commissions under the 
latter monarch. He had been appointed, and even set sail for his new 
government before the death of William. Queen Anne confirmed his 
commission immediately upon her accession to the throne. She also for- 
warded him additional instructions relative to necessary and vigorous 
preparations for the defense of the New York frontier against the 
French. 

Cornbury had been a military chieftain for nearly twenty years, but 
of political power he had very little conception, except as it emanated 
from the self-will of a superior. He had genius for exacting obedience, 
and order and method were to him literally "Heaven's first law." But 
he was unfortunately destitute of tact and discretion. He stood among 
the mixed people of New York and New Jersey like an ogre come to 



460 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YoltK. 




Portrait of Lord Cornbury. 



crush one party and raise another. He had no sympathy with the pri- 
mary notion of popular rights, he was without true nobleness of heart, 
and he was addicted to many private vices. He, in short, illustrated the 
must exaggerated feature of aristocratic arrogance. Yet his coming was 

fortunate just at this junc- 
ture, else the excesses of the 
Leislerian party would have 
sowed discord beyond all hope 
of future reconciliation. Many 
merchants and property-own- 
ers had already removed into 
New Jersey. They came back, 
however, to watch the effects 
of the new administration. 

Colonel Bayard's case was 
upon every person's lips, and 
Cornbury gave it his first at- 
tention. He found that Chief 
Justice Atwood had forbid- 
den any one from taking notes 
in the court, not excepting 
the lawyers themselves. The whole trial seemed to have been con- 
ducted in an irregular manner. Prisoners had been convicted and 
sentenced to die for signing treasonable papers, when the papers them- 
selves at the time of conviction had never been seen by the lieutenant- 
governor, by any member of his council, by Weaver, who filed the pros- 
ecution, by the grand jury who found the bill, nor by the petty jury who 
brought in the verdict of guilty. They were to be executed for siqiposed 
written treason, which was never produced in evidence nor proved to be 
treason. 

Atwood and Weaver found themselves standing in a very odious light, 
and both suddenly absconded, notwithstanding the latter was under heavy 
bonds to render a true account of his Custom-House collections. The 
two were concealed in Virginia until they could sail for England ; Atwood 
assuming the name of Jones, and Weaver that of Jackson. Cornbury 
formally suspended them from all their offices, and appointed Colonel 
Caleb Heathcote and Dr. John Bridges to succeed them in the council. 

About the same time Cornbury was petitioned so earnestly by certain 
parties that he proceeded to suspend De Peyster, Dr. Staats, and Robert 
Walters from the council, on the ground of their alleged activity in pro- 
moting disorders in the province. Dr. Gerardus Beekmau, Bip Van Dam, 



HAY ARM'S SENTENCE REVERSED. 401 

Killian Van Rensselaer, and Thomas Wenhain were sworn in their stead, 
the latter having returned from exile. 

Cornbury was fully aware of the feeling the various accounts of the 
crime and trial of Bayard had awakened among the Lords of Trade. The 
prisoner was known personally to them, and party spirit was thoroughly 
understood. They had resolved, even before he sailed tor New York, that 
Bayard and Hutchings should have a hearing before the queen in council. 
A letter to this effect was written to the Earl of Manchester on the first 
day of May. A royal order subsequently reached Cornbury for the re- 
Lease of Bayard on bail, and a few months later the queen by advice of 
her conned reversed the sentences which had been pronounced upon both 
Bayard and Hutchings, and reinstated them in their property and honor 
"as if no such trial had been." 

It was about the 17th of June that Cornbury received orders to pro- 
claim Queen Anne in New York and in East and West New Jersey, and 
the duty was performed in the metropolis on the following day. The 
people of all stations in life manifested the most undoubted loyalty. 

On Friday, June 19, Cornbury started lor Burlington, the chief 
town in West New Jersey; but, owing to rough roads, or, in many 
instances, to the want of roads altogether, he did not reach his destination 
until late on Sunday night. He was received and entertained by Gov- 
ernor Hamilton, and on Monday at eleven o'clock the magistrates and 
people were gathered together and the new queen proclaimed "in the 
same happy manner as in New York." Cornbury's plan was to proceed 
to Amboy, the chief town in East New Jersey, but recenl rains had 
flooded the lowlands, and he was obliged to defer his visit until a later 
day. 

He had scarcely reached New York on his return than he was appalled 
by the amount of sickness which prevailed. The small-pox hail raged all 
the spring, and now the yellow fever was sweeping over the city. Few 
persons who were attacked recovered. He made great baste to remove 
his family to a place of safety. Lady Cornbury 1 was an invalid, and they 
had three young children. Jamaica, Long Island, was where they finally 
took up their quarters for the summer. There were but few good houses 
in that little village, and the Presbyterian minister, Rev. Mr. Hubbard, 
offered his new parsonage to the governor, and with a large family sought 
more humble and less convenient accommodations. 

1 Lady Cornbury was Katharine, daughter of Lord O'Brien, who was himself the son of 
the Kail of Richmond in Ireland. She was married to Lord Cornbury in 1688. Upon the 
death of her mother, Lady O'Brien, she. became Baroness Clifton, of Leighton Bromswold, 
Warwickshire, England. 



462 HISTORY OF THE CITY Of NEW YORK. 

Cornbury was an Episcopalian, and loved the church as a religion of 
state subordinate to executive power. In common with many others of 
Ins time he believed that its establishment in the colonies would be a safe- 
guard against popery. There were a few Episcopalians in Jamaica, but 
they had no place of worship. The town had been settled chiefly by New 
England Puritans, although there was an occasional Dutch planter in the 
neighborhood. The little church edifice had been built by vote of the 
town, and the minister's salary was raised in the same manner. As soon 
as it was practicable a substantial dwelling for a parsonage had been added 
to the church property. When the famous Ministry Act was passed, in 
1693, the few Episcopalians, who as townsmen contributed their yearly 
dues for the support of the gospel, made investigations to learn whether 
the Presbyterians had really any better claim to the church property than 
any other sect, and came to the conclusion that it was held simply by 
virtue of priority of possession. As soon as Lord Cornbury came among 
them, a consultation took place which resulted in a determination to 
wrest the sacred edifice, parsonage, etc., from the Presbyterians altogether. 
Consequently, one Sabbath afternoon, between the morning and the even- 
ing service, a few zealous churchmen obtained the key, and took the sanc- 
tuary captive. The next day the outraged Presbyterians gathered round 
the building, and forcibly entered it, tearing up the seats and otherwise 
mutilating the interior. The Episcopalians rallied in as large a force as 
possible, countenanced by Cornbury, and, rushing into the church, turned 
out the enemy in a violent manner. The battle was a serious one, several 
persons being wounded. But, as the governor was within a stone's-throw 
of the belligerents, and, his own servants taking an active part in the fray, 
it is no matter of wonder that the Episcopalians were left masters of the 
field. Long and tedious litigations followed; many of the Presbyterians 
were prosecuted for damages to the building, and several men among 
them were heavily fined, and imprisoned. It was not until 1728, that 
the colonial courts finally decided that the church edifice belonged to the 
Presbyterians ; and it was restored to that denomination. 

Cornbury presented the parsonage to the Episcopacy, when the summer 
was over and he about to return to the city. The glebe he turned over to 
the sheriff, who laid it out in building-lots, and farmed it for the benefit 
of tlw church. 

The fatal sickness of this summer deprived New York of more than 
five hundred of her citizens. Meanwhile Cornbury was not neglectful of 
the Indians, but for whom New York would have been at the mercy of 
the French. He went to Albany on the 5th of July, and five days later 
the sachems of the Five Nations and delegations from the river tribes 



LADY BELLOMONT. 4(i3 

met him in solemn conference. The chain of friendship was polished 
anew with the customary gifts from the government, such as guns, ket- 
tles, blankets, knives, beer, bread, powder, and nun. One of the sachems 
rose and requested that the rum might be put in some secure place until 
alter the business of the meeting was all transacted, lest his people fall to 
drinking. It was accordingly lodged in Robert Livingston's cellar. Peter 
Schuyler anil Robert Livingston wen- Cornbury's efficient aids, as indeed 
they had been the interpreters and tutors of every royal governor, as far as 
Indian affairs were concerned, for a long series of years. The sachems 
promised to report any hostile movement on the part of the enemy which 
should come within their knowledge, and to In- subject at all times to 
the advice of their white leaders. Cornbury saw indications, however, of 
defection on the part of some of the northern tribes, and it was believed 
that they would eventually go over to the French. He consequently 
wrote tu the Lords of Trade that, in his opinion, the only way to protect 
New York was tu drive the French out of Canada. 

As for Livingston, Cornbury was cordially determined to see him justi- 
fied before the world. An application was made in Lady Bellomont for 
such accounts and vouchers as her late husband had transferred from the 
hands of his clerk to his own possession, shortly before his death : they 
were obtained and proved effectual in removing the aspersions from Liv- 
ingston's character. His estates were restored in February, 1703, and 
two years later a commission from Queen Anne reinstated him in all his 
former appointments and honors. 

Lady Bellomont left the city upon the first appearance of the fatal 
epidemic. She obtained quarters at a little farm-house on Long Island 
until she could make arrangements to sail for Europe. All at once she 
was accused of having in her possession money belonging to the govern- 
ment, which had not been accounted for by the late governor. She was 
not allowed to start on her voyage until she had given bonds to the 
amount of £10,000 for her appearance in New York in the following 
April to answer to the charges against her. She immediately upon her 
arrival in England petitioned the queen for an investigation of her affairs 
She emphatically denied all the charges which had been "manufactured," 
and asked for an order to collect large arrears in Lord Bellomont's salary. 

Nanfan made arrangements to remove to Barbadoes, but the course of 
his career did not run smoothly. His wil'e and children were safely em- 
barked on the vessel, when he was arrested on a charge of not having 
accounted for the public money which had been in his hands; and also 
on another charge for having countenanced and abetted arbitrary ar- 
rests while in power. He was thrown into prison, and his family pro- 



464 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

ceeded to their destination without him. He remained in close confine- 
ment one year and a half. The Lords of Trade finally ordered his release 
on bail. Plans were matured to re-arrest him, and he only escaped by 
taking refuge on a man-of-war in the harbor, and proceeded in a shabbily 
clad and despondent condition to England. Fraud was never proven in 
his case ; he suffered the disgrace with none of the perquisites. No one 
pretended to hold him responsible for the atrocious proceedings of the 
last few months. He was young and inexperienced, and very much 
under the influence of Atwood and Weaver. Even Cornbury exonerated 
him from blame, and fixed the stigma upon the flying ex-chief-justice 
and certain members of the council. 

The Lords of Trade were astonished when they learned that the New 
York Assembly had passed the Leisler Act for reparation of damages 
claimed to have been sustained during the Eevolution ! They 
immediately sent Cornbury their former instructions to Bello- 
mont, which they had intended should be a guide to Nanfan as well, 
and ordered, peremptorily, that no such irregular proceeding should be al- 
lowed. They also forwarded the queen's order in council for the restora- 
tion of Attorney-General Broughton to the execution of his official duties, 
the queen deeming it unfit that any person should be punished for 
giving his opinion in matters which had been referred to him. Brough- 
ton was subsequently made one of the governor's council. 

About the same time Cornbury received a formal commission to govern 
New Jersey, the proprietors having surrendered all their powers to the 
queen. East and West New Jersey were henceforth united into one prov- 
ince. Counselors were named from among the most prominent inhabitants. 
An Assembly was elected by the majority of freeholders, as in New York, 
which was to sit first at Perth Amboy, then at Burlington, and afterwards 
alternate between the two places. All voters must possess at least one 
hundred acres of real estate, or personal property to the amount of £ 50. 
Liberty of conscience was granted to all persons except papists, and the 
solemn affirmation of the Quakers was to be taken instead of an oath. 
Cornbury was directed to take special care "that God Almighty be 
devoutly and duly served," and that ministers of the Church of England 
should be furnished with a parsonage and glebe at the common charge. 
He was also instructed to encourage traffic in merchantable negroes, 
which the African Company in England would furnish at moderate 
rates. 

Even during that summer of distress (1702) while Cornbury was in the 
cosey enjoyment of the Jamaica parsonage, the elections were stirring up the 
old strife through the length and breadth of the province. Philip French 



DEATH OF FREDERICK PHILIPSE. 465 

was chosen a member of the new Assembly, 1 and in ( >ctober of the same 
year appointed mayor of the city. Stephen De Lancey, Jacobus Van 
Cortlandt, and Henry Beekman were also elected to the Assembly, and 
William Nicolls was chosen speaker. The House met at Jamaica, and 
accomplished no little business. It continued the revenue for seven 
years: voted £1,800 for the defense of the frontiers; 2 raised £2,000 as 
a present to Combury towards defraying the expenses of his voyage ; 
passed an Act for disciplining slaves who had become insolent and unman- 
ageable; an Act for destroying wolves in Now York; an Act for settling 
the militia; an Act to appoint commissioners to examine the accounts 
and debts of the province; an Act for maintaining the poor of the city; 
an Act for establishing a free grammar school in the city ; an Act to 
enable the city to supply the vacancy when officers should be removed 
by death; and an Act for repealing some of the previous Acts of the 
Assembly. In reference to the money raised as a present for Cornbury, 
it is worthy of note that within the next twelve months the queen 
issued an order forbidding any similar gifts to governors in any part of 
the British dominions. 

Colonel William Smith resumed his seat in the council, and was again 
made chief justice of the province. One of the first arts of Mayor 
French was to cause the anus of the late Lord Bellomont and of 
Nanfan to lie torn from the wall of the new City Hall on Wall Street, 
and broken in fragments by the city marshal. 

The very next morning the Garden Street Church bell solemnly tolled 
the intelligence that Frederick Philipse had suddenly died at Philipse 
Manor. He was in the seventy-seventh year of his age. For more than 
half a century he had been intimately associated with every event of any 
note in city or province. He was called the " Dutch millionaire." But 
although classed among the " grandees," he had incurred comparatively 
little political enmity, and was not denounced as a wholesale foe to all 
the rights of humanity, as were many of his contemporaries. Philipse- 
borough (or Philipse Manor), where he resided the greater part of every 
year, was under high cultivation. At the time he obtained the royal 
charter (in 1693) which gave him all the privileges and powers of a 
lord, the ferry, island, and meadow had been confirmed to his property, 

1 The Act of the late Assembly outlawing Philip French had been annulled by the English 
Lords. 

2 The raising of this money was as follows : each of the royal council must pay a poll-tax 
of 40 s. ; each member of the House, 20 s. ; every lawyer in practice, 20 s. ; every man wearing 
a periwig, 5 s. 6 d.; every bachelor over twenty-live years of age, 2 s. 3d. : every fireman 
between sixteen and sixty years, 9 d. ; owners of slaves for each. 1 s. 

30 



466 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



also the right to build a bridge over " Spiken-devil ferry," as it was then 
called, and collect toll from passengers. The bridge was named Kings 
Bridge. Philipse commanded the same respect in New York which was 
accorded to men of his standing in England. He presided with baronial 
ceremonies in the administration of justice among his tenantry. He had 
two great rent-days, on which he feasted his people, — one at the Yonkers 




portion of Philipseborough and the other at Sleepy Hollow. His manor- 
house was a grand edifice for the times, although it was enlarged subse- 
quently. Its rooms were spacious, with richly ornamented ceilings, and 
its hall immensely broad, with an imported staircase, which is still in 
existence. A beautiful lawn sloped gradually to the very edge of the 
Hudson, which was dotted with fine specimens of foreign trees brought 
from the different climes by the great merchant's vessels. A fine park 
was stocked with deer; ami gardens, filled with fruits, shrubs, and flow- 
ers, extended to a great distance to the north and south of the dwelling. 
At the time of Philipse's death the household embraced over forty negro 
slaves. Forty-five years later, the servants or slaves required to keep the 
princely establishment in running order numbered titty. 

When Bellomont set his face like steel against the tendency to feudal- 
ism in New York, he had no personal dislike to Philipse. They met in 
social intercourse, and were friendly. Bellomont suspected Philipse of 
trading with the pirates, but he had no grounds upon which to frame an 
accusation. He never attempted to do so except on one occasion, and 
then with characteristic reticence and cold resentment Philipse retired 
from any further part in public affairs. Bellomont was almost a mono- 
maniac in the matter of curtailing landed estates, because he firmly be- 
lieved that great wealth in a few men was not conducive to the prosperity 




FREDERICK PHILIPSE'S WILL. 4liT 

of an infant colony. There is more than one light in which to regard 
that question. As for New York, it is very apparent that she is indebted 
largely for her present commercial importance to the tireless activity and 
remarkable energy of those men who accumulated private fortunes prior 
to the beginning of the eighteenth century. Modern improvements and 
business facilities were not yet introduced into our country; the services 
of these same stirring men were constantly 
required in the administration of govern- 
ment ; and they were liable with every turn 
of the political wheel to be thrown into the 
slough. They were obliged also to perform 
military duty, and wars and rumors of wars 
were perpetual. Their money in a multi- 
tude of instances saved the credit of the 
colony. Advances were constantly needed, 
for taxes were collected with difficulty at 
all times, and the expenses of a long-drawn- 

. Castle Philipse ITarrytown. 

out war can never be properly estimated. 

The contents of well-filled purses encouraged the tradespeople, having a 
similar effect to rain upon growing crops; a drouth is always fatal, but 
a shower is a blessing even if it cause a freshet occasionally when and 
where water is not needed. The same wise power which gathers the 
mists loosens the rain-clouds and distributes the drops. New York re- 
ceived her mercantile impetus through the spirit which Bellomont found 
so formidable, when he began to question the motives and investigate the 
means by which men enrich themselves 

Frederick Philipse left by his will a valuable house ami lot in the city, 
and a mortgage of Dominie Selyns. to his daughter Eve, who was the wife 
of Jacobus Yan Cortlandt : another daughter was the wife of Philip 
French, who received a house and lot in the city, ami an estate in Ber- 
gen. An immense tract of land at the Upper Mills in Westchester 
County, and other real estate was given to his sun Adolphe Philiji.se ; ami 
the manor of Philipseborough descended to his grandson, Frederick Phil- 
ipse, whose father, Philip Philipse, had died some two years before. 

The winter was spent by Cornbury in examining into the resources of 
the province, and answering the inquiries of the Lords of Trade. 
But he lacked the persistent industry of his two predecessors, was 
given to frivolous amusements, would often dress himself in women's 
clothes to show his remarkable resemblance to Queen Anne, and he spent 
many hours of each day at cards. He was excessively prodigal in the 
use of money, and he was negligent about paying his debts. The gen- 



468 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

tlemen of the council had counted upon his ability and good sense, and 
were mortified and disgusted with his exhibition of weakness and eccen- 
tricity. 

When the Assembly met in the spring, Cornbury proposed the raising 
nf a sum of money for the purpose of erecting two stone batteries at 
the Narrows, where the sea is not quite a mile broad. It would render 
the port safe from a hostile attack by water, since no ship could pass that 
point, and the logic was unanswerable. The House voted £ 1,500, but the 
question of appointing a treasurer to hold the money separate from the 
other public funds was argued at considerable length, greatly to the dis- 
comfiture of the governor. The reflection upon his honor met with a 
sharp rebuke. The House responded courteously through its speaker, 
William Nicolls, giving a diagnosis of the money accounts during the 
year past ; these had been examined from time to time by the legislators, 
according to the queen's directions, and the result was the discovery that 
considerable sums which had been raised by the people for the defense of 
New York had been otherwise appropriated. Nicolls, in behalf of the As- 
sembly, explained the situation and cautiously added, " Your lordship will 
no doubt take care to see those mistakes rectified." He then went on to 
disclaim any desire of introducing innovations, but, the House having been 
entrusted by the people of the province with the care of their natural and 
civil liberties as Englishmen, it was a high duty to obey their wishes and 
protect their property rights, particularly when these same people " had 
literally outdone all mankind, and it was feared themselves, by the con- 
stant paying of taxes for the prosecution of the tiresome war." 

One of the Acts passed at this session of the Assembly prohibited the 
distilling of rum, and the burning of oyster-shells or stone into lime with- 
in half a mile of the City Hall in Wall Street, as it was believed that 
business had much increased the mortality of the preceding summer. 
Another Act, of same date, enabled the French Church to erect a suitable 
edifice for public worship; which was accomplished the following year. 
It was located in Pine Street, and was called Du Saint Esprit. 1 The 
first pastor was Rev. James Laborie. The Huguenots who had settled 
upon Stateu Island came over in frail canoes to attend Sabbath worship, 
as did many from Long Island until such time as they were strong enough 
to build churches of their own. 

William Peartree was the mayor of the city in 1703, and re- 
tained the position until 1707. He was an English West Indian 
merchant, who removed to New York in 1700 from Jamaica, W. I. His 
place of business was on Beaver Street, where he also built a fine resi- 
1 See page 329 for a sketch of this church. 



THE NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLY. 469 

dence. He was a man of education, and interested himself in the estab- 
lishment and improvement of institutions of learning. A tree grammar 
school had beenfor a long time in contemplation, and Peartree was chiefly 
instrumental in its final accomplishment ; Andrew Clarke was employed 
as teacher. About the same time tin 1 first effort was made in New York 
for the instruction of negro slaves. A catechizing school was opened 
fur them by Rev. Mr. Vesey. The jail was remodeled during the winter 
and rendered more secure for felons; and a debtors' prison was arranged 
in the upper story of the City Hall. It was a rough room with coarse 
board partitions, without chairs, warmth, or comforts of any sort whatever. 
It remained substantially in the same condition for three fourths of a cen- 
tury. The punishment for a petty thief was to burn into the left cheek 
near the uose the letter " T." 

The people of New Jersey were disappointed in Cornbury, as well as 
those of New York. His rather handsome face and bland manners at- 
tracted them at first, but his demand for an annual salary of £2,000 per 
annum for twenty years produced a sudden shock, like that of an earth- 
quake. The stiff Quaker, Samuel Jennings, turned abruptly upon him 
with the quaint remark, "Then thee must lie very needy." 

The New Jersey Assembly had been accustomed to raise only moderate 
sums tor the support of the government, and, after much debate, voted 
£1,300 per annum for three years. Cornbury was very angry, and when 
he found that he could not manage affairs, he dissolved the body. A new 
Assembly was elected, which was more pliable, and granted the £ 2,000 
salary, but cautiously, for two years. This partial triumph would hardly 
have been accomplished had not Cornbury refused to admit three of the 
most important and intelligent of the newly elected members to their 
seats, on the feigned ground that their estates were not as large as the 
royal instructions required. 

Lewis Morris was one of the members of Cornbury's New Jersey coun- 
cil. He had spent some time in England, where he had been one of the 
warmest advocates for the surrender of the proprietary government to the 
crown. The Lords of Trade were so much pleased with him that he re- 
ceived the first nomination for the governorship of New Jersey. But the 
original intention of giving the province an executive of its own was 
abandoned, and New Jersey was placed with New York under the admin- 
istration of Cornbury. 

Lewis Morris was at this time a dashing and somewhat erratic young 
man of thirty-three. His life had been a singular one. His father, Rich- 
ard Morris, had been active in the service of Cromwell, and found refuge 
in New York upon the restoration of Charles II. ; he obtained through 



470 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Governor Stuyvesant, about the year 1061, a grant of over three thou- 
sand acres of land upon the northern side of the Harlem River, with 
baronial privileges, and built a comfortable homestead. The property 
was called Morrisania. When his only and infant son Lewis was six 
months of age, his wife sickened and died, and he shortly followed 
her. The orphan babe was thus left to the care of entire strangers, 
and the government of New York assumed charge by appointing guar- 
dians to protect his interests. In 1G74 Colonel Lewis Morris, an elder 
brother of Richard Morris, removed from Barbadoes to New York, 
and became the guardian of his nephew. He resided in Morrisania, but 
he purchased some four thousand acres of land in Monmouth County, 
New Jersey, upon which he located iron-mills ; he also built a manor- 
house, and various buildings for his dependents, who in 1680 numbered 
seventy or more. Upon his death in 1691, this property fell to young 
Lewis, which, together with the large estate of his father, made him a 
very rich man. 1 

He had been a willful and capricious boy, given to all manner of mis- 
chievous pranks, and had been renowned for playing practical jokes upon 
his best friends. He had defied the restraints of schools and tutors, and 
finally ran away, and supported himself for some time in the capacity of 
a scrivener on the island of Jamaica. At twenty he was in New York 
again, and in full assumption of the airs and graces of manhood was 
paying court to Isabella, the beautiful daughter of Hon. James Graham. 
They were married on the 3d of November, 1691. 

Where Lewis Morris studied law is unknown. His first appearance 
in public life was as one of the judges of the Court of Common Right 
in East New Jersey. He was also one of the counselors of Governor 
Hamilton. He was gifted with a certain amount of discernment into 
men's characters and springs of action, which subsequently won him a 
brilliant reputation at the bar. He possessed a mind of more than ordi- 
nary vigor and originality, which, in connection with great peculiarity 
of temper, bluntness of speech, and curtness of manner, rendered him 
as attractive to his friends as he was obnoxious to bis enemies. He was 
an adept in the wdy intrigues of colonial politics. His opinions were 
always advanced with emphasis and maintained with spirit. 

From the day that Lewis Morris first met Lord Cornbury he enter- 
tained for him the most scornful contempt. When measures were in- 

1 "Mr. Mompesson, our chief justice, is dead. I have commissioned Lewis Morris, Escjr. 
in his room for these reasons amongst others, that he is a sensible, honest man, and able to 
live without a salary, which they will most certainly never grant to any in that station, at 
least sufficient to maintain his clerk. — Postscript of a Icttrr from Governor Hinder to the Lords 
if Trade, March 28, 1715. Cul. Hist. N. Y., Vol. V. p. 400. 



CHIEF JUSTICE ROGER MOMPESSON. 471 

traduced into the council which Morris conceived prejudicial to the 
interests of the province, he assailed them in a determined manner, and 
oftentimes with the most stinging ridicule, until Cornbury, finaUy, in 
sheer self-defense suspended him from office. 

Ingoldsby returned to New York in the early part of 1704, with a 
commission as lieutenant-governor under Cornbury. But the two did 
not agree. And, one complaint after another reaching the Lords of Trade, 
they at last revoked the appointment. 

Meanwhile Queen Anne had given her attention to the conditioB 
of Trinity Church. The king's farm, which had created so much 

• ° 1705. 

painful disturbance through the generous granting of its use by 
Fletcher to the struggling corporation, was augmented by the addition of 
the Anetje Jans estate, and formally presented by deed patent, signed 
by Lord Cornbury, to this church. It was only a farm at the time, and 
comparatively of little value, but it has long since become a compact 
portion of the city. 

Colonel William Smith died at St. George Manor, just after the open- 
ing of the new year. He had retired from the office of chief justice 
nearly two years before, but had continued to meet with the governor's 
council until within a few weeks. Dr. Bridges succeeded him as chief 
justice ; but he filled the office only for a brief period, his death occurring 
not far from that of Colonel Smith. 

Roger Mompesson (the seventh chief justice of New York) was ap- 
pointed in his stead. He was a new arrival. He was an English lawyer 
of ability, who had been recorder of Southampton, and a member of two 
Parliaments. He was descended from Rev. William Mompesson, who 
was Rector of Eyam, Derbyshire, during the plague of 1666. He became 
involved through engagements to pay some of his father's debts, and 
found it convenient to accept a judicial appointment which would bring 
him to America. He was sworn into the New York council, and con- 
tinued a member of that body until his death. He was appointed chief 
justice of New Jersey as well as New York, and held the office, with the 
exception of the few months of Lord Lovelace's administration, also until 
his death. In 1706 he was sworn chief justice of Pennsylvania, but it 
does not appear that he sat on the bench of that colony. His wide ex- 
perience and sound legal acumen enabled him to do more than almost any 
other man towards molding the judicial system of both New York and 
New Jersey. 1 John Barbarie and Adolphe Philipse were appointed to 
fill vacancies in the council, and a little later Mayor William Peartree 

1 Roger Mompesson married Martha, the daughter of Judge William Pinhorne, of Snake 
Hill, New Jersey. He had one son, Pinhorne Mompi -hi 



472 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

was added to the number in place of Attorney-General Broughton 
deceased. 

The great excitement of the summer of 1705, was the discovery of an 
enormous tooth in the side of a hill near Claverack on the Hudson. It 
weighed four and three-fourths pouuds, and had the appearance of having 
been taken from a human skull. Other bones were found, which, how- 
ever, crumbled on exposure to the air. One, supposed to be a thigh bone, 
measured seventeen feet in length. The event was recorded as the first 
discovery of a mammoth in America. Eighty years afterwards the bones 
of the great beast were found in Ulster County, and Charles William 
Peale formed his skeleton for the museum. 

Hardly had the sensation died away created by the marvelous tooth 
when a riot occurred which was something startling. Captain Cleaver, 
a noted privateer, brought a Spanish man-of-war into port which he had 
captured after a desperate struggle. The crew were elated by their vic- 
tory, and under the influence of poor wine paraded the streets singiug 
songs and uttering coarse and vulgar jests. The sheriff attempted to 
check them, and they fell upon him with drunken fury. He escaped to his 
house, which they surrounded, and, not being able to force an entrance, 
they assaulted every person who came to his assistance. Two army offi- 
cers, who were in advance of the soldiers dispatched from the fort, were 
attacked aud one killed, while the other was dangerously wounded. The 
soldiers put the sailors to flight, leaving one of their number dying in the 
street. The sailor who killed the officer was arrested, tried, and executed 
for the murder. 

In the midst of these scenes a French privateer suddenly entered the 
harbor. The city was thrown into a great state of consternation. The 
batteries at the Narrows, which were to prevent such a catastrophe, had 
not been erected, notwithstanding the appropriation of £ 1,500 two years 
before ! " Misappropriation " rang in Cornbury's ears. He highly re- 
sented the imputation, and said the money had never been collected. 
There was almost a panic. The mayor and common council petitioned 
the Assembly for help in the work of fortifications, and Cornbury himself 
talked forcibly on the subject. The House, meanwhile, was having a 
tempest within itself. Some of the members declared that the body was 
invested with the same powers as the House of Commons. They even 
went so far as to deny the right of the governor and council to amend a 
money bill. They clamored for a treasurer of their own. Risks could 
not be afforded. The province was impoverished by the increasing ex- 
penses of the government, and by the diminution of ocean commerce in 
consequence of the war. It was convenient party capital to be always 



DEATH OF LADY CORNBURY. 473 

prepared to accuse former administrators of having devoured the public 
funds, but the time had come when it was better to provide against mis- 
chief than complain of it. Cornbury contended to the last against the 
implied spot upon his honor, but he wielded little influence over the iron 
Assembly of 1705, and was obliged to submit the matter to the cpieen 
and her lords. 

The result was an order transmitted to the New York governor " to 
permit the General Assembly of the province to name their own treasurer 
when they raised extraordinary supplies for particular uses." It was a 
strong point gained, for even the title " General Assembly " was conceded, 
about which there had been no small amount of undignified jangling. 
£ 3,000 was at once raised for the city fortifications, and Hon. Abraham 
De Peyster was appointed treasurer of New York. 

The citizens had all this while been vigorously at work, — some four 
hundred men were employed daily on the defenses. The militia had been 
drilled and volunteers enlisted. It was estimated that between four 
and five thousand men could be mustered to arms within twenty-four 
hours notice. It was a season of alarms. At one time a French fleet 
was reported off the coast. But the city escaped her threatened danger. 

Lady Cornbury was at this time wasting slowly away with a 
disease of many years' standing, and her husband, roused to devo- 
tion by the near prospect of losing her, bent his energies to the perform- 
ance of loving attentions. He watched by her bedside night and day, 
and reprimanded nurses and servants for the most trifling negligence. 
She died at half past eleven o'clock on the night of Sunday, 
August 11, aged thirty-four years, and was buried in Trinity 
Church. She had given birth to seven children, but only three, one son 
and two daughters, survived her. For a time Cornbury was apparently 
overwhelmed with grief, but it soon lifted, and he returned to his former 
life and practices. He cared very little what people said or thought 
about his private character, for was he not of royal blood, and did not 
kings suit themselves? His conduct told greatly to his disadvantage 
nevertheless, and he lost favor with all classes. He performed religious 
duties with severe ostentation, but even Episcopalians had very little 
faith in his Christian zeal. 

As for the Presbyterians, Cornbury had been simply odious to them 
ever since the church quarrel at Jamaica. There were few as yet in 
New York, and they had no church edifice. Their custom was to assem- 
ble in private houses on the Sabbath, and conduct worship among them- 
selves. It happened that two Presbyterian ministers came to the city, 
Rev. Francis McKemie from Virginia and Rev. John Hampton from 



474 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Maryland, and sent a message to Cornbury asking for an interview. The 
reply was a courteous invitation to the two divines to dine with the 
governor that same afternoon. They proceeded to Cornbury's mansion, 
and were well received and hospitably entertained. They conversed 
upon genera] topics : but made no mention of any intention to preach in 
the city. The next day they visited some of the city clergymen, and 
were offered both the French and Dutch pulpits for the ensuing Sabbath, 
provided the governor would give his consent. The clerical strangers 
said it was not worth while to trouble the governor, since they had the 
queen's authority to preach anywhere in her dominions. They declined 
the tender of the churches, and made other arrangements. McKemie 
preached at a private house, and Hampton occupied the sacred desk of 
the little church in Newtown, Long Island. 

Cornbury was no sooner informed of these events than he sent an 
order to the sheriff of Queen's County, to arrest the two ministers, who 
were staying in Newtown, and bring them into his presence. The order 
was executed in a coarse, rough, and exceedingly offensive manner. 
Attorney-General Bickly (the successor of Broughton) was with Corn- 
bury when the gentlemen appeared. The governor proceeded to ques- 
tion them, and they to justify their course. The governor said the law 
would not permit him to countenance strolling preachers, for they might be 
papists for aught he knew. They must qualify themselves by satisfying 
the government that they were fit persons to occupy the pulpit before 
they could be permitted to preach. McKemie said he had qualified him- 
self in Virginia, which was sufficient. The ministers were as ignorant of 
law as children, and Cornbury construed their seeming contumacy into 
intentional fraud. If the attorney-general had possessed tact and discre- 
tion, he might have guided both clergymen and governor out of the diffi- 
culty ; but he was a voluble talker rather than a valuable counselor, and 
the interview resulted in the imprisonment of the innocent but opinion- 
ated men. Chief Justice Mompesson was absent, hence it was six weeks 
and four days before the prisoners were brought to trial. Meanwhile a 
deep sense of the injustice of the whole proceeding impressed itself upon 
the community, and Cornbury was stigmatized as a narrow-minded per- 
secutor of Presbyterianism. The trial was attended with considerable 
excitement, but the jury acquitted the ministers ; they were obliged, how- 
ever, to pay all the expenses of the prosecution. 

In April a new Assembly met in New Jersey, Cornbury having ordered 
an election with the specific purpose of having his salary renewed. 
What was his chagrin to find the majority of the members, with Lewis 
Mmris at their head, opposed to all his measures. The fearless Quaker, 



CORNBURY AND SPEAKER JENNINGS. 47. r > 

Samuel Jennings, was chosen speaker. The first business before the 
House was the disposal of a chapter of grievances. A petition was pre- 
pared to forward to the queen ; and a remonstrance, dratted by Morris, 
was read to the governor. It was a bitter morsel, and it lost none of 
its force in the clear, distinct rendering of it by Speaker Jennings. 
Cornbury was charged with accepting bribes ; he was accused of en- 
croaching upon popular liberty by denying the freeholders' election of 
their representative ; and his new method of government was criticised 
in a cutting manner. At the more pointed passages Cornbury, assuming 
a stern air of authority, would cry out. "Stop! Whal 's that ' " When 
thus interrupted, Jennings would look steadily into tin- governor's eyes 
for an instant, and then meekly, but emphatically, reread the offensive 
paragraph, bringing out every shade of meaning with stinging fullness 
of articulation. 

Cornbury's reply was distinguished lor its length and its weakness. 
He left no part of the remonstrance unanswered. He denied some of 
the charges and attempted to justify others; he charged the Quakers 
with disloyalty and with having tried to promote fait ion ; and he 
abused Jennings and Morris to the extent of his ability, pronouncing 
them "men generally known to have neither good principles nor morals." 
This elicited a second paper from the House, in which all former griev- 
ances were amplified. The Quakers responded to Cornbury's charge 
against them in the words of Nehemiah to Sanballat : " There is no 
such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own 
heart." 

Cornbury was greatly discomfited. He could positively obtain no 
money from New Jersey without disagreeable concessions. He 
returned to New York, and met an equally stubborn Assembly. 
There was much business, and the session was a long and important one. 
But the revenue, which by a previous Act was about to expire, was not 
continued. The House passed a bill to discharge Cornbury from a con- 
tract of £ 250 with Mr. Hansen, and consented to an appropriation for 
Indian presents, claiming, however, an exact list of all that was needed 
in advance. 1 A difficulty with Thomas Byerly, the collector and re- > 
ceiver-general, occupied much valuable time at this session. He had 
announced that the treasury was exhausted. As the debts of the gov- 
ernment were unpaid, the House was petitioned to provide means lor 
their discharge. Peter Schuyler was one of the chief creditors, having 
loaned large sums of money, and he instituted an investigation by which 
Byerly would be compelled to account. Byerly could not comply be- 
1 Journals of the Legislative Council of New York, Vol. I. p. 248. 



470 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

cause his predecessor in office, Mr. Fauoonnier, withheld accounts as secu- 
rities for back pay. The case provoked sharp arguments. It was the 
occasion of the appointment of a committee on grievances, of which 
William Nicolls, the speaker of the House, was chairman. This com- 
mittee drafted a list of resolutions and sent them to the queen. They 
illustrate the temper and intelligence of the Assembly of 1708, and are 
as follows : — 

" Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee, that the appointing coro- 
ners in this colony, without their being chosen by the people, is a grievance, and 
contrary to law. 

" Resolved, That it is, and always has been, the unquestionable right of every 
free man in this colony, that he hath a perfect and entire property in his goods 
and estate. 

" Resolved, That the imposing and levying of any moneys upon her Majes- 
ty's subjects of this colony, under any pretense or color whatsoever, without 
consent in General Assembly, is a grievance, and a violation of the people's 
property. 

" Resolved, That for any officer whatsoever to extort from the people extrava- 
gant and unlimited fees, or any money whatsoever, not positively established 
and regulated by consent in General Assembly, is unreasonable and unlawful, 
a great grievance, and tending to the utter destruction of all property in this 
plantation. 

" Resolved, That the erecting a court of equity without consent in General As- 
sembly is contrary to law, without precedent, and of dangerous consequence to 
tin* liberty and property of the subjects. 

" Resolved, That the raising of money for the government, or other necessary 
charge, by any tax, impost, or burden on goods imported or exported, or any 
clog or hindrance on traffic or commerce, is found by experience to be the expul- 
sion of many, and the impoverishing of the rest of the planters, freeholders, 
and inhabitants of this colony ; of most pernicious consequence, which, if con- 
tinued, will unavoidably prove the ruin of the colony. 

" Resolved, That the excessive sums of money screwed from masters of vessels 
trading here, under the notion of Port-charges, visiting the said vessels by super- 
numerary officers, and taking extraordinary fees, is the great discouragement of 
trade, and strangers coming among us, and is beyond the precedent of any other 
port, and without color of law. 

" Resolved, That the compelling any man upon trial by a jury, or otherwise, to 
pay fees for his prosecution, or anything whatsoever, unless the fees of the offi- 
cers whom he employs for his necessary defense, is a great grievance, and con- 
trary to justice." 1 

1 Journals of the legislative council of New York 



LORD LOVEL.UH. 477 

The last resolution had direct reference to the case of Rev. Francis 
McKemie, in which William Nicolls was one of the lawyers for the de- 
fense. 

The unfitness of Cornbury for his position had long been the subject of 

anxious discussion at Whitehall. When petitions for his removal multi- 
plied, and were in every instance signed by men of character and influence 
in both New York and New Jersey, the warning was not allowed to pass 
by unheeded. A new governor was appointed in his stead. It was John, 
Lord Lovelace, Baron of Hurley, a nephew of the former New York gov- 
ernor of that name. He arrived in the city on the 18th of December, 
and was greeted with a noisy reception. In the midst of the sensation 
created by the event, the hungry creditors of Lord Cornbury hovered about 
his residence, and. finding he had no money with which to pay for his last 
joint of meat, they began to clamor and threaten. All manner of trades- 
men's bills were presented for payment, and it was found that he had 
private debts of every sort and description The unhappy ex-governor 
was arrested and lodged in the debtor's prison, where he was confined 
until he succeeded to the Earldom of Clarendon, made vacant by his fa- 
ther's death, and to the privilege of peerage. A sum of money forwarded at 
last froin his lather's estate set him at liberty. He left New York with 
few friends, if any, to mourn his departure. And yet he had been of ser- 
vice to the province, which is none the less worthy of notice because it 
was without design. He had toned and mellowed political animosity by 
uniting the two parties in one bond of opposition against himself. And 
he had taught men to be watchful, to withdraw confidence from foreign 
rulers, to canvass the rights of British subjects, and to study the necessi- 
ties as well as the methods of ' resistance. He carried with him to Eng- 
land the unenviable distinction of having been one of the most disreputa- 
ble of all the New York governors. 

Lord Lovelace was ill all winter. He had taken a violent cold on the 
vessel while it lay off the coast near Sandy Hook in December, and 
a settled cough was the result. He was not confined to his room 
at all times, and attended to such business as he was able. He dissolved 
the Assembly and ordered a new election. When the House met, and 
had again chosen William Nicolls speaker, he appeared, and, in a short 
speech, asked for a careful examination of public accounts, that it might 
be apparent to the world that the public debt was not incurred in his 
time; and he also recommended the raising of the revenue for seven 
years, as formerly. The House responded cheerfully, saving that the be- 
ginning of the new administration promised peace and tranquillity, and 
that suitable measures would be taken for the good of the country, and 



478 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the new governor's satisfaction. In the matter of the revenue, however, 
it was decided to raise it annually and appropriate it specifically. 

The illness of Lord Lovelace assumed a more alarming character 
as the spring opened. His family suffered as well as himself, and 
one child died in April. His own death occurred verj suddenly on the 
6th of May. A little later, his only surviving sou, the young Lord, was 
consigned to the tomb. Lady Lovelace excited universal sympathy in her 
afflictions; a widow and childless, she returned to England in duly. 

Ingoldsby, as lieutenant-governor of the province, assumed the govern- 
ment. All his actions were closely scrutinized, for he was not considered 
a man worthy of such a trust. Indeed, it was through a blunder that he 
retained the office, the Lords of Trade having never forwarded the order 
of 1704, revoking his appointment. As soon as the news of Lovelace's 
death reached Whitehall, Ingoldsby's commission was revoked the second 
time, and lie was ordered to take no part in public affairs whatever, 
except in a military capacity. 1 After Ingoldsby's removal, Dr. Gerardus 
Beekman, as president of the Council, filled the executive chair until the 
arrival of a new governor. 2 

Ingoldsby's short administration was distinguished by an attempt to 
drive the French out of Canada. Such an enterprise had been long and 
earnestly desired by New York, but the want of harmony among the 
colonies and the backwardness of England had thus far stood effectually 
in the way. Colonel Vetch, the son-in-law of Robert Livingston, finally 
brought the. project to a crisis. He had some years before visited Quel ice, 
and he had sounded the St. Lawrence River, so thai now he was prepared 
to lay intelligent plans. The English Ministry consented, and promised 
to send a large fleet to the assistance of the colonists. Colonel Vetch 
returned from England to Boston, and soon prevailed upon the New 
England colonies to join in the scheme. He then visited New York and 
perfected arrangements. Francis Nicholson, the former lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, was elected commander-in-chief. Peter Schuyler went among the 
Iroquois, and persuaded them to take up the hatchet once more against 
the French. These savages had been for some time maintaining a neutral, 
ground between the two fighting nations, England and France, having 
entered into a treaty with the latter. The other colonies agreed to assist, 
and the bright, near prospect of getting rid of a troublesome and merci- 
less foe to the north filled every heart with joy. The Assembly issued 
bills of credit, since the treasury was empty and it was the only expe- 
dient by which New York could contribute to the expense. Twenty 

1 Sunderland's order was signed on the 17th of April, 1710, but it did not reach New York 
until the next sluing. 
- See portrait, page 360. 



SCHUYLER AT QUEEN ANNE'S COURT. 479 

ship ami house carpenters were impressed into the service; commissaries 
were appointed and empowered to break open houses and take provisions 
by force, if needful ; and men, vessels, horses, and wagons, for transport- 
ing the stoves, were to be forcibly employed whenever the exigency of the 
ease required. The greatest activity prevailed. Presently all thi 
were in readiness. New York had spent £20,000. The army set out 
in fine spirits, and marched through the wilderness to Lake Champlain. 
The Indians were under the command of Colonel Peter Schuyler. They 
halted for news of the British fleet which was to come to their assistance. 
They waited for weeks. The fleet never came. The disappointment was 
overwhelming. It seems that there had been a great defeat of the Por- 
tuguese, and the troops destined for Canada had been sent to their relief. 
But the news did not reach Nicholson, Schuyler, and Vetch, where' they 
were camping iu the woods and swamps, until September, and then the 
disgusted soldiers were conducted home. 

Schuyler deplored the failure of the expedition more than any other 
man. lie had a comprehensive appreciation of the ultimate results of 
this border warfare, ami wished to see it brought to an end. He was 
thoroughly acquainted with the Indian character. He had in the early 
part ot his life insinuated himself into the good graces of the savages bj 
the performance of pleasant acts. From then until now the men of the 
forest had never been in Albany without coming to his house and eating 
at his table. He was continually making them presents, mid by his 
liberality in that direction greatly impaired his own fortune. But it 
enabled him to maintain an ascendency over them, and obviate the 
jealousies arising through the efforts of the French Jesuits, His inter- 
ventions and stratagems saved New York rivers of bl I. He believed 

in the necessity for vigorous measures against the French. He said not 
only the safety, but the very existence, of the colonies was at stake. He 
finally resolved to go to England and lav the subject personally before 
the Lords of Trade. To make his mission more effective he took with 
him five Indian chiefs at his own private expense. As he predicted, tin- 
whole kingdom was stirred into curiosity and enthusiasm. Crowds fol- 
lowed them wherever they went. Their pictures were taken and offered 
for sale at every corner. The theaters were put in requisition to enter- 
tain them, and the Guards were reviewed in Hyde Park for their special 
benefit. 

But the great event of the pilgrimage was their reception by Queen 
Anne. The court was in mourning at the time for the Prince of Den- 
mark ; and by way of courtesy the Indians were dressed in black vests 
and breeches, and instead of their own royal blankets, wore about their 



480 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



shoulders scarlet cloth mantles edged with gold. Sir Charles Cotterel 
conducted them in two coaches to St. James's, and the Lord Chamberlain 
introduced them with the usual ceremonies of state to the queen. The 
chief orator among them made a speech, to the effect that the reduction 
of Canada was absolutely necessary for their free hunting, and that if 
the great queen was not mindful of her children of the forest they would 
be obliged to forsake her country for other habitations, " or stand neuter," 
each of which was very much against their inclinations. At the close of 
the interview they presented her with a belt of wampum. 

Schuyler was the bearer of an appeal from the New York Assembly 
to the Lords of Trade, which, together with the presence of the Indians, 
moved the nation to promise to send an expedition against Canada. 
Schuyler was personally the recipient of all manner of distinguished 
attentions during his brief visit. Queen Anne presented him with an ele- 
gant silver vase as a token of respect. It has been handed along from one 
generation of the Schuyler family to another, in the direct descent, and 
is now in the possession of Mr. George L Schuyler of New York, to 
whose generous courtesy we are indebted for the sketch. 




Schuyler Vase. 
(For inscription, »ee Appendix A.) 



HUNTER'S LIFE AND CHARACTER. 481 



CHAPTER XXIII 



GOVERNOR ROBERT HUNTER. 

Governor Robert Hunter. — Hunter's Life and Character. — Hunter's Corre- 
spondence with Swift. — Hunter's Counselors. —John Baebarie.— Rip Van 
Dam. — The Germans. — Livingston Manor. — Hunter's Country-seat "Andro- 
borus." — The City Finances. —Negro Slaves. —Lobsters. — Origin of the 
Debt of England. — Prophecies. — The Canadian Campaign. —The Disappoint- 
ment. — The Negro Insurrection. — City Improvements. —The Assembly.— 
Death of Queen Anne. — George I. — Chief Justice Lewis Morris. — Robert 
Waits. —The New York Families. —James Alexander. — First Presbyterian 
Church Wall Street. — Potatoes. — Hunter's Farewell Address. — Peter 
Schuyler in Command of New York. 

IN June, 1710, New York once more rejoiced in a governor. Robert 
Hunter was unlike any of his predecessors. He was a strong, active, 
cultivated man of middle age, with refined tastes and feelings, combined 
with genial and persuasive manners; and he was a model of morality. 
His attainments were such that he had for many years enjoyed the warm 
personal friendship of Swift, Addison, Steele, and other distinguished lit- 
erary men in England. He was something of a poet himself, although he 
had always written under a nom de plume. He was fond of men of 
learning, and encouraged the arts and sciences wherever and whenever 
he had an opportunity. He was also a most agreeable and entertaining 
social companion. 

His early life was full of incident. He was one of the gentlemen who 
served as guard under the Bishop of London to the Princess Anne when 
she retired from her father's court. He soon after received a commission 
in William's army; and he had in all the wars since that time given 
proof of great courage and rare ability. One winter lie was in command 
of a regiment of troops who were quartered in a Holland town. The 
following is one of many similar anecdotes related of him : — 

The magistrates of the place had incurred the displeasure of the people, 
and a move was made for a new election. The magistrates in great heat 
31 



482 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

appealed to Huuter to hinder the assembling of the people. He was too 
intelligent an iiltiiw not to know that it was dangerous for the soldiery 
to interfere in the civil government, while it was really best for all parties 
that the election should be prevented. The day came, and crowds gath- 
ered in the great church and were about to displace the old magistrates. 
Hunter, who had called his regiments together privately, without beat 
of drum, marched his whole force towards the church, and when quite 
near it ordered the drums to beat the Grenadier's March. The people 
were so startled and terrified that they rushed out through the doors, 
and jumped from the windows of the building, in the greatest dismay 
and confusion. Quite a number were seriously hurt and one or two 
killed. Of course all further business for the time was suspended. Mean- 
while Hunter marched his soldiers directly past the church to the parade* 
ground, without apparently taking the least notice of the panic and its 
consequences, and when they had gone through with their usual drill, he 
dismissed them. 

In 1707, while Addison was Under-Secretary of State, Hunter received 
the appointment of governor of Virginia. 1 He was captured by the 
French while on his voyage to that colony, and detained a long time as 
a prisoner in Paris. He corresponded with Swift while there, and from 
his letters we learn that the witty Dean had been expecting Hunter to 
use his influence to obtain for him a bishopric in Virginia. Under date 
of January 12, 1708, Swift says : — 

" I am considering whether there be no way of disturbing your quiet by writ- 
ing some dark matter that may give the French court a jealousy of you. I sup- 
pose Monsieur Chamillard or some of his commissaries must have this letter 
interpreted to them before it comes to your hands ; and therefore I think good 
to warn them, that if they exchange you under six of their lieutenant-generals 
they will be losers by the bargain. But that they may not mistake me, I do 

not mean as Viceroy de Virginie, mais comme le Colonel Hunter Have 

you yet met any French colonel whom you remember to have formerly knocked 
from his horse, or shivered, at least, a lance from his breastplate? Do you know 
the wounds you have given when you see the scars ? Do you salute your old 
enemies with 

' ' ' Stetimus tela aspera contra, 
< bntulimusque manus ? ' " 

Three months later, under date of March 22d, Swift wrote : — 

" I find you a little lament your bondage, and, indeed, in your case it requires 

1 Smith erroneously states that Hunter was appointed lieutenant-governor of Virginia. 
His commission was that of governor-in-chief, but it was by a compromise with the Earl of 
Orkney. 



HUNTER'S COUNSELORS. 483 

;i good .share of philosophy. Jiut if you will not be angry, I believe 1 may 
have been the ran,.' you are still a prisoner; for 1 imagine my former letter 
was intercepted by the French, and the most Christian king read one passage in 
it (and duly considering the weighl of the person who wrote if) where I said. 
it the French understood your value as well as we do, he would not exchange 
you for Count Tallard and all the debris of Blenheim together." 1 

Hunter was finally exchanged for the Bishop of Quebec, and was at 
once named by the queen for the government of Jamaica, which happened 
to be vacant. He signified a decided preference for the government of 
New York, which was also vacant, and his wishes were very graciously 
respected. He had married, while in the army, the lovely and accom- 
plished Lady Hay, who accompanied him to New York. It was not an 
auspicious moment for comfort and the enjoyment of life, for the country 
was in perpetual agitation about the war, and the unpopular administra- 
tion of Cornbury had rendered the whole community suspicious. But 
Hunter set an example of gentlemanly forbearance, kindly humor, ster- 
ling integrity, and purity of sentiment, which cooled the heated atmos- 
phere, and by slow- degrees public affairs assumed a more healthful as- 
pect. The council was composed of I>r. Gerardus Beekman, Abraham De 
Peyster (who was also treasurer of the province), Peter Schuyler, Rip 
Van Dam, Dr. Staats, Robert Walters, Adolphe Philipse, Chief Justice 
Mompesson, Caleb Heathcote, John Barbarie, and Killian Van Rens- 
selaer. 

Barbarie was a wealthy Huguenot, whose father settle, I m New [io- 
chelle in the time of Jacob Leisler. His wife was Gertrude Johnson, the 
granddaughter of Hon. Stephanus Van Cortlandt. He was French in all 
his tastes and habits, polite to a fault, and pleasing in address, though 
given to extravagant tits of temper. He was also notoriously arrogant on 
the subject of birth and family connections. 

Van Dam ranked among the most prominent merchants of the city. 
He owned several ships, and was extensively engaged in the West India 
trade. For many years he had stood out openly and manfully against all 
abuses, and had regarded with interest whatever affected the commerce 
of the young colony. Indeed, his first entrance into the exciting arena 
of politics seems to have been on the occasion of the seizure of some of 
his vessels by Bellomont, for alleged infringements of the custom laws. 
He at once threw himself into the opposition, and henceforth was an 
active party leader. He attained great power and influence, and alter 
having been one of the governor's council for nearly thirty years, he as 

i Contributions to East Jersey History. Whitehead, p. 148. Smith's New York: Srnith's 
Ifew Jersi </. 



484 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

President of that body acted for more than a year (from July 1, 1731, to 
August 1, 1732) as governor of the province. 1 

Chief Justice Mompesson was probably of more real service to Hunter 
than any other counselor, as he had taken special care to inform himself 
in regard to the character, manners, morals, and peculiarities of the people 
of New York and New Jersey, and he was, moreover, less tinctured with 
party prejudice than the men who had been battling with grievances for 
a lifetime. He was a master of the English law, and his advice was 
always to the point. 

At that epoch Germany was crying out in anguish through the draughts 
made upon her resources by the " Thirty Years' War." Thousands of the 
peasantry had no alternative but gradual starvation or immediate emigra- 
tion to some foreign country. Many of them, flying before the French, 
took refuge in the camp of the Duke of Marlborough. Queen Anne sent 
a fleet to Rotterdam to convey a portion of them to London, and such was 
the eagerness of the unhappy people to accept of exile that England was 
threatened, as it were, with an invasion. At least thirty-two thousand 
were landed upon her shores. The Ministry thought it might be a possible 
public advantage to quarter a few shiploads of them in the American 
colonies, to be employed in making pitch and tar for the naval stores, 
and therefore a proclamation was issued offering free passage to such as 
might wish to cross the Atlantic. At that moment Hunter was about to 
embark for New York, and was intrusted with the charge of three thou- 
sand, who had pushed forward for transportation. The government en- 
tered into a contract to settle them upon lands which they might agree to 
pay for in labor after a certain time, and to provide them with present 
necessaries, such as houses, and household and working utensils. 

Hunter had scarcely reached New York ere he was compelled to hasten 
to Albany to confer with the sachems of the Five Nations. He took the 
opportunity to prospect along the Hudson River for a suitable location for 
the German colony, and finally purchased about six thousand acres -of 
land of Robert Livingston from the manor property, and adjacent to some 

1 Rip Van Dam was bom in Albany. Coll. R. D. Ch. Records, He married Sarah Vander- 
spiegle, in the city of New York, on the 14th day of September, 1684. The baptisms of 
fifteen children are recorded in the Dutch Church between the years 1685 and 1707. Many 
of this large family lived to years of maturity. Rip, an elder son, married Judith Bayard. 
Richard married < 'ornelia Beekman. Isaac, who was baptized in the Dutch Church of New 
York, on January 9, 1704, was one of the executors of his father's will ; he had six children, 
the eldest of whom, Anthony, figured among the prominent merchants of New York for 
many years. Chamber of Commerce Records, by John Austin Stevens. Of the daughters of 
Rip Van Dam, Maria married Nicholas Parcel ; Elizabeth married, first, John Sybrant, second, 
Jacobus Kiersted ; and Catalyntic married Walter Thong, and their daughter Mary became 
the wifr of Robert, third Lord of Livingston Manor. 



LIVINGSTON MANOR. 485 

pine forests. The Germans were soon upon the spot, and, sheltered by 
cheap and hastily constructed dwellings, huddled together in five distinct 
villages. Others came after them, many proceeding to Pennsylvania, where 
they laid the foundation of the German population which is so large an ele- 
ment in that State. These earlier German emigrants were mostly hewers 
of wood and drawers of water, differing materially from the class of Ger- 
mans who have since come among us, and bearing about the same rela- 
tion to the English and Dutch and French settlers of their time, as the 
Chinese of to-day to the American population of the Pacific coast of the 
United States. 

Presently a change in the English Ministry turned the affairs of these 
war-worn and poverty-stricken emigrants into hopeless confusion. The 
new Lords endeavored to render every measure of their predecessors un- 
popular. They raised a terrific howl about the importation of foreigners 
to their American colonies, and declared that the giving of them employ- 
ment was going to endanger the Church. They attacked the legality of 
the agreement which the government had entered into with the Germans. 
Hunter soon found his drafts dishonored, and himself personally liable 
for the expenses of the German colony. It checked him in the carrying 
out of many plans for their comfort and prosperity, yet he stood bravely 
by them to the extent of his power. They were sore and discomfited. 
They grumbled about their land, and said it was unfit for cultivation. S< ime 
of them defiantly appropriated other tracts than what had been assigned 
to them. They quarreled with the overseer whom Hunter had appointed. 
They clamored for more seed for their gardens, for more bread, beer, beef, 
hoes, and grubbing-hooks, and were lazy, and disinclined to prepare trees 
for the manufacture of pitch and tar. Hunter explained to them his em- 
barrassments and his inability to control the English purse. They did 
not believe him, or, if they did, they refused to be comforted. He en- 
listed as many of them as practicable for the expedition about to be sent 
to Canada, and when that proved a failure, allowed them to keep their 
arms. This last act of consideration he soon, however, had occasion to 
regret. 

He was returning from Albany, after one of his many interviews with 
the Indian sachems, and stopped for a few days, as was his custom when 
going up and down the river, at Livingston Manor. This beautiful 
place was even then the seat of a broad and elegant hospitality. The 
most refined and cultivated people of the country resorted there for visits, 
which were often prolonged for weeks ; and every distinguished foreigner 
who landed upon our shores was sure to be welcomed in his own home 
by the lord of the manor, who had lost none of the courtliness of his 



486 II I STORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

younger years, and at seventy-six carried himself as proudly erect as at 
forty-five. He had always been courted, notwithstanding his political per- 
versity, and never appeared to better advantage than when entertaining a 
house full of agreeable guests. His wife had grown more delicately fair 
and beautiful under the snows of her many winters, and presided over the 
establishment with cpieenly dignity, still charming every one by her 
conversation and winning all hearts by her sweetness of temper. Their 
children were well bred and highly educated. Philip, who afterwards 
succeeded his father as lord of the manor, was then about twenty-five. 
Robert Livingston had not yet retired from public life. He was still sec- 
retary of Indian affairs, although Philip often acted as his deputy, and 
was actively interested in all that concerned the welfare of the province. 
His jurisdiction as magistrate extended over the entire country between 
the manor and Albany. Application had been made to him on the very 
day Hunter reached the manor, by one of the German clergymen, for the 
dissolution of two unhappy marriages at the German Flats, — -as the Ger- 
man settlement was called. Livingston declined to interfere on the ground 
that Dirck Van Wessells Ten Broeck had just been appointed magistrate 
over the district to the south. 

The manor-house was brilliantly lighted on the evening of the govern- 
or's arrival. - As the family, with their distinguished guest, were quietly 
dining, a party of Germans appeared at the great east door and asked to 
see " His Excellency." Hunter at once granted the request, but the in- 
terview was neither agreeable nor profitable. The visitors came with 
cloudy visages and covert threats to announce their intention of removing 
to "the Schoharie country," which they declared had been promised 
them in the queen's contract, and at the same time demanded money 
from the government to effect their purpose. They had already hindered 
the government surveyors fn im laying out any more lots where they were 
at present located, and had organized an association, with the avowed 
determination of compelling acquiescence to their wishes. Even during 
the conversation on the manor-house balcony a party of armed Germans 
were hanging about on the borders of a thicket near by. Hunter adroitly 
postponed a final settlement with them for two days. In the mean time 
he sent an express privately to Albany, forty miles distant, with orders 
for two independent companies of troops to come directly to his relief 
by water. They arrived in the night, and were landed with great secrecy, 
and kept close under the bank of the river out of sight. By appoint- 
ment, Hunter met the German delegation at a little house on the shore, 
early the following morning. The latter were ill-mannered and would 
not listen to anything he had to say. He raised his voice and with much 



COLDNESS AND SUSPICION. 4<S7 

decision told them what he should and what he should not do. One of 
the Germans began to bluster, ami use profane ami threatening language; 
a signal at that moment brought the concealed soldiers briskly in front 
of the building witli drums beating. Such an unexpected apparition so 
terrified the rude fellows, who had been plotting to seize the governor, 
that they retreated in great confusion to their villages. The soldiers 
followed them and took their arms away from them altogether. The 
salutary lesson restored order fur a time, and the work of making pitch 
and tar once more commenced ; but Hie German colony never ceased to 
be a thorn in Hunter's flesh. 

The meeting of the Assembly occurred soon after Hunter's return to 
New York He went before the House, and cordially admonished its 
members " to do away with unchristian division." Said he, " Let every 
man begin at home, and weed the rancor out of his own mind ; leave 
disputes of property to the laws, and injury to the avenger of them, and 
like good subjects and good Christians, join hearts and hands for the 
common good." But this Assembly, like many another before and after 
it, was cold and suspicious, and backward about raising the necessary 
allowances for the government. The excuse was the former misapplica- 
tion of the revenue, which had involved the country in debt ; and a little 
later, the poverty of the people was pleaded, which had been caused by 
the tax to defray the expenses of the late expedition t<> Canada. Some 
of the members openly denied the right of the queen to appoint salaries 
for her colonial officers. No one made more forcible arguments to that 
point than Stephen De Lancey, whose ideas had been molded by Euro- 
pean experiences. William Nicolls, the speaker of the House, lawyer- 
like and self-contained, favored the growing feeling that there should be 
a restraint upon the governor's prerogative. The support which was 
cautiously and after labored discussions granted to Hunter was on terms 
which he could not accept without breach of his instructions. 




Autograph of Lewis Morris. 



In New Jersey Hunter found a warm admirer and friend in Lewis 
Morris. The acquaintance had begun in England some months before. 
But the gentlemen in the council whom Morris had so violently opposed 



488 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

during Cornbury's administration set themselves like steel against both 
Morris and Hunter, until the latter was obliged to ask the Lords of Trade 
for the dismissal of Pinhorne, Coxe, Sonmans, and Hall. The New Jer- 
sey Assembly sustained him in this particular by declaring, in a memorial, 
that so long as these gentlemen remained in places of trust in the prov- 
ince justice could not be duly administered, nor liberty and property safe. 
Hunter about this time purchased a house in Aniboy, on the knoll south 
of St. Peter's Church. 1 It commanded a fine view of the harbor, and of 
the bay and ocean beyond, and was his official residence while on his 
tours of duty in New Jersey ; and it was where he often retired during 
the heat of summer, and on other occasions when desirous of recreation 
or relief from the weighty cares of state. He wrote to Dean Swift : — 

" I thought in coming to this government I should have hot meals, and cool 
drinks, and recreate my body in Holland sheets, upon beds of down ; whereas 
I am doing penance as if I was a hermit ; and as I cannot do that with a will, 
believe in the long run the devil will lly away with me. Sancho Panza was 
indeed but a type of me, as I could fully convince you, by an exact parallel 

between our administrations and circumstances The truth is, I am used 

like a dog, after having done all that is in the power of man to deserve better 
treatment, so that I am now quite jaded." 

Hunter's pecuniary embarrassments were of the most vexatious kind. 
He had stripped himself for the government, and could not even com- 
mand a salary. In a letter to Swift under date of March 14, 1713, he 
wrote : — 

" This is the finest air to live upon in the universe ; and if our trees and 
birds could speak, and our Assemblymen be sdent, the finest conversation also. 
The soil bears all things, but not for me. According to the custom of the coun- 
try the sachems are the poorest of the people. In a word, and to be serious, I 
have spent my time thus far here in such torment and vexation, that nothing 
hereafter in life can ever make amends for it." 

Another serious difficulty arose out of his not being a High-Churchman. 
The Church had become the political engine of the ministerial faction, 
and when Coxe and Sonmans found themselves relieved from legislative 
power, they set themselves vigorously at work to enlist the clergy and 

1 In addition to his property at Amboy, Hunter purchased Mattenecunk Island in the Dela- 
ware, near Burlington, and retained possession of it for some years after he left the province. 
In June, 1731, James Alexander wrote to Hunter that Governor Montgomery was so much 
delighted with this island, that he got vistas cut from it in various directions up and down 
the river for the agreeable prospects thus afforded. — Whitehead's East New Jersey, 154. 



CITY CHARTER. 489 

the missionaries in a plan to undermine the authority and compel the 

recall of Hunter, and obtain the appointment of the g I Churchman, 

Nicholson, in his place. They informed the Ministry that Hunter was 
the protector of dissenters and Quakers, and the upholder of nun of Low 
and depraved tastes. They said many other things which it was sup- 
posed would be damaging to him at the Court of England. But Hunter's 
frank and manly answer to the accusations, appealing to the evidence of 
all sober men, clergy or laity, fur a testimony to his straightforward con- 
duct in relation to the furtherance of Christianity, restored the confidence 
of the Lords of Trade, which it must be confessed was for a tune shaken. 
Hunter was excessively annoyed/as appears from his letters, but he bore 
himself with consistent dignity, and never seemed to suffer any dejection 
of spirits. He was an indefatigable worker; his days were divided for 
each duty with arithmetical precision. When hardest pressed for money, 
he was usually in his wittiest moods, and often jocosely remarked thai lie 
expected tn die in a jail. In his leisure moments one winter, assisted by 
the facetious Morris, he composed a farce, called " Androborus," — The 
Man-Eater, — in which the clergy, Nicholson, and the Assembly were so 
humorously exposed, that the laugh turned upon them in all circles. 
From the merriment thus provoked grew a better liking for and a more 
generous appreciation of the governor himself. 

Jacobus Van Cortlandt was the mayor of New Fork in 1710, as was 
he also in 1719. The city had grown very little since the commence- 
ment of the century. The city government, like the provincial, was em- 
barrassed in its finances. It went beyond its resources when the City 
Hall as built on Wall Street. The corporation revenue failed to meet 
loans and expenses, and an annual levy was the last result. In 1703, 
£ 300 was raised, which was less than one third of one per cent od the 
value of estates. The citizens grumbled, and in L704 the amount was 
reduced to £200, which did not abate the dissatisfaction. Various expe- 
dients were proposed to add to the revenue of the corporation for absolute 
necessities. Finally, an appeal was made to the general government for 
further ferry privileges, which resulted in the charter of 1708. To the 
city's former franchises was added the grant of land between high and 
low water along the East River (on the Long Islam! side from Wallabout 
to Red Hook) to prevent competition on the part of unlicensed ferrymen. 
The advantage of additional city ferries soon became apparent. The fol- 
lowing table of income and expenditure in 1710 will interest such of our 
readers as may wish to compare it with the present financial structure 
and the sums involved : — 



4!)0 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



■ of New York City in 171". 



Kent of Ferry .... 
" " Dock 
" " Swamp 
" " Land to Codrington 
Ree'd from 68 Licenses 
" " 15 Freedoms 

" The Pound 
" " Fines & Forfeitures 
" " 4 Guagers & Packers 
& Cullers 
Lease to Mr. Van 
Evern 
" " Lease to John Van 

Home . 
" " Lease to Van Orden 
" " Lease to J. Anderson 
" " Lease to John Boss 
" " Lease to Tuys Boss 
" " Lease to Ryer Hanse 
























(i 


19 


6 


2 

















12 





12 





12 





12 











12 





12 





12 





7 


6 



Anuual Expenditure. 1710. 

Salary per annum Town Clerk . 

" " " Marshall . 
5 per c. Treasurer's Commissions 
Bellmen's Salaries 
Lanthorns & Hour glasses 
Fire and Candle for Constable's 

Watch .... 
Bonfires on Nov. 5th & Feb. 6th 

& March 8th & April 13th . 
Pens, ink & paper for Town 

Clerk .... 
Books for Records . 
Repairs on City Hall and jails 
Repairs on Ferry House 
Repairs on the Dock 
Incidental Expenses 
Cage, Pillory & Stocks 
Repairing the Sewer 



20 

10 

20 

36 

3 



20 



1 4 

2 
50 
40 
10 
42 
10 
10 



Total 277 4 



The importation of negroes was perhaps more lucrative at this date, 
than any other species of commerce. Buyers and sellers desired some 
special place of rendezvous, hence a slave-mart was erected at the foot of 
Wall Street. Considerable trade was carried on in clams, the Indians in 
the distant inland territories reckoning them among their best dishes. 
When they inhabited the coasts they caught them themselves ; now they 
were only too glad to buy them of the Dutch and English. 

An English writer, speaking of New York in 1710, said: — 

" There is a kind of frog which lives there during the summer, and which is 
very clamorous in the evening, and in the night, especially when the days have 
been hot and rain expected. They quite drown the singing of birds, and fre- 
quently make such a noise that it is difficult for a person to be heard in con- 
versation." 

And the same writer goes on to introduce to our notice the mos- 
quito : — 

" The New York people are greatly troubled with a little insect which follows 
the hay that is made in the salt meadows, or comes home with the cows in the 
evening. This little animalcnlae can disfigure most terribly a person's face in a 
single night. The skin is sometimes so covered over with small blisters from 
their stings, that people are ashamed to appear in public'." 

But the most amusing part of the article, which by the way appeared 



THE DEBT OF ENGLAND. 41)1 

in a London paper of that date, was in relation to New York lobsters. 
We will quote the passage entire : — 

"Lobsters are caught thereabouts, and after being pickled in very much the 
,s:iiiio manner as oysters, are senl to several places. I was told of a very remark- 
able circumstance ! The coast of New York bad European inhabitants for a long 
time, and yet no lobsters were to be found there. The people fished for them, 
but never a sign of one could they find in that part of the sea. Thej were 
brought in great well-boats from New England, where they were plentiful. But 
it so happened that one of these lobsterdaden well-boats struck a rock and 
broke into pieces near Hell-gate, about ten miles from Xew York, and all the 
lobsters in it got off. Ever since then there has been a great abundance of them 
in the waters about the metropolis." 

The statesmen of the mother country were very much astonished at 
the importance which their colonies had begun to assume. Hunter's 
letters revealed the spirit of self-sufficiency which was pervading New 
York. It was time to look into affairs, if Colonial Assemblies dared set 
bounds to the royal prerogative. Hitherto the supreme power of the 
home government had seemed in accordance with justice and with pol- 
icy. Indeed, nothing less would have kept the life-blood of the feeble 
infant in circulation. But as the child grew in strength and stature the 
fetters should have been loosened. No sensible parent deals with a son 
of fifteen in the same manner as with a son of five. It was folly to treat 
such a province as New York, in the early part of the eighteenth century, 
as it might have been proper to treat a little band of emigrants who had 
just built their huts on a barbarous shore, and to whom the protection of 
the flag of a great nation was an indispensable necessity. 

England was already in debt, and the English mind was speculating 
upon the emoluments to be reaped from the colonies. The right of Par- 
liament to tax at discretion was not yet maintained, but the way to it 
was being paved through illiberal legislation. The nation was compara- 
tively free from pecuniary obligations when William III. ascended the 
throne. The war with France which followed was expensive. It was 
found impossible, without exciting the most formidable discontents, to 
raise by taxation the money needful for its continuance ; and at that 
very moment numerous capitalists were looking around them in vain for 
some good mode of investing their savings. They bad hitherto kept their 
wealth locked up, ot lavished it upon absurd projects. Riches sufficient 
to equip a navy which would sweep the entire Atlantic of French priva- 
teers, was lying idle, or passing from the owners into the hands of sharp- 
ers. No wonder that the statesmen of the realm thought it might with 



492 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

advantage to the proprietor, to the tax-payer, and to the whole British 
Empire, be attracted into the treasury. Italy, France, and Holland had 
set the example of incurring a national debt. Sir William Temple told 
his countrymen, how, when he was ambassador at the Hague, the single 
province of Holland, then ruled by the frugal and prudent De Witt, owed 
about five million pounds sterling, for which interest at four per cent was 
always ready at the day specified for its payment ; and when any part of 
the principal was paid off the public creditor received his money with 
tears, well knowing that he could find no other investment equally secure. 
Montague, one of the most inventive and daring of financiers, was among 
those who discussed this question. When England finally resorted to 
the expedient, it was popular ; the moneyed men were delighted with the 
opportunity of lending, and the land-owners, hard pressed by the load of 
taxation, rejoiced at the prospect of present ease. It was the Tories who 
at a later period assailed the national debt with rancorous criticism. The 
rate of interest as first established was ten per cent. After the year 1700 
it was only seven per cent. 

Such was the origin of the famous debt which has since perplexed the 
brains and confounded the pride of statesmen and philosophers. At 
every stage of its increase a cry of anguish arose, and wise men prophesied 
bankruptcy and ruin. When the great contest with Louis XIV. was ter- 
minated by the peace of Utrecht, the nation owed about fifty millions. 
Acute thinkers declared that it would permanently cripple the body politic. 
But the nation grew richer and richer. After the war of the Austrian 
succession the debt had increased to eighty millions. Another war, and, 
under the energetic and prodigal administration of the first William Pitt, 
the debt rapidly swelled to one hundred and forty millions. Writers of 
every grade were in despair. They said it would have been better to have 
been conquered than oppressed with such a burden. David Hume, one 
of the most profound political economists of his time, declared that such 
madness exceeded the madness of the Crusaders. He gloomily predicted 
that the fatal day for the country had arrived. He could not see the 
prosperity around him, the growing cities, the marts too small for the 
crowd of buyers and sellers, the increase of commerce, and the general 
spread of culture. Adam Smith's vision was but a trifle clearer. He ad- 
mitted that the nation had actually sustained the vast load, and thrived 
under it in a way which could not have been foreseen. But the limit 
had been reached. Even a small increase might be fatal. And he issued 
a solemn warning against the repetition of such a hazardous experiment. 
George Grenville, who was eminently practical, declared that the nation 
must eventually sink under the debt unless a portion of the burden was 



GRAVE DISAPPOINTMENT. 4!»o 

borne by the American colonies. We shall erelong see how the attempt 
to lay a portion of the burden upon the American colonies produced an- 
other war. And after that war England's debt had increased to two hun- 
dred and forty millions, and the colonies were gone, whose aid had been 
regarded as indispensable. Again the case was pronounced hopi less 
England was given over by her state physicians, while, at the same time, 
the strange patient persisted in living, ami was visibly more prosperous 
than ever before. Soon followed the wars which sprang from the French 
Revolution, and which exceeded in cost any that the world had ever seen. 
When they were ended, the debt of England was eight hundred millions. 
And it was as easy to pay the interest on that gigantic amount as on the 
original debt of fifty millions. For whde the debt had grown all other 
things had grown as well. There was incessant progress of every experi- 
mental science, and there was the persistent effort of every man to gel on 
in life. The resources of the country had been very much enlarged, and 
business had been doubling and redoubling itself. 

There was no little incapacity and corruption prevalent in the State 
Department of England during Hunter's administration. The plowshare 
had not yet been put through old systems and fossilized methods of action ; 
and the benefits arising from later experiences were entirely wanting. 
All rising power in the colonies was esteemed demoralizing. Those de- 
pendencies must be compelled to contribute to the defense of tin fron 
tiers. Parliamentary interference was suggested by the annoyed and 
perplexed Ministry. But when the New York Assembly found that the 
queen and her Lords were really about to fulfill the promise made to 
Schuyler, by an invasion of Canada, it was warmed into a generous 
outlay. £10,000 were issued in treasury bills, to be redeemed by taxa- 
tion in five years, and six hundred troops were furnished, in addition to 
six hundred Iroquois warriors enlisted by Colonel Schuyler. An impor- 
tant Congress of colonial governors met at New London on the 1711. 
21st of June, to decide upon the men and means to be contributed June 21. 
by the other colonies. There were present Governor Hunter, Governor 
Dudley, Governor Saltonstall, Governor Cranston, Colonel Schuyler, Liv- 
ingston, Colonel Vetch, and other gentlemen of note. Every one was will- 
ing td assist, and the army, when organized, assembled in Albany, and was 
placed under the command of Colonel Francis Nicholson, who was to 
march by land and attack Montreal, while an immense fleet from England 
should at the same time appear and destroy Quebec. General Hill, a 
relative of Mrs. Masham, who had superseded the. Duchess of Marlbor- 
ough as the queen's favorite, commanded the fleet. When it arrived at 
the mouth of the St, Lawrence River a dense fog prevailed, ami eight 



494 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

vessels, containing eight hundred and eighty-four men, were wrecked and 
lost on the rocky coasts. This calamity so disheartened the officers that 

they held a council of war, and finally determined that it was im- 
' ep ' practicable to proceed farther. They anchored in Spanish River 
Bay ; but, as they were provisioned for only ten weeks, they in a few days 

sailed for home, arriving in Portsmouth on the 9th of October, 

Oct. 9. ° 

where, in addition to all their previous misfortunes, the Edgar, a 
seventy-gun ship, was blown up, and four hundred troops, besides many 
friends who had come on board to visit them, were instantly destroyed. 

The disappointment fell heavily upon the colonies. The new Ministry 
was blamed, and with just and sufficient reason, for the mismanagement 
of the whole matter. Why was not the fleet more fully victualed ? Where 
was there any valid excuse for having tarried in Boston until the season 
for attack was over? It was supposed that the Ministry intended to 
save £ 20,000 to the government by obtaining supplies for the fleet from 
New England. This was denied by some, and affirmed by others ; but 
whether true or false, it rankled all the same. 

New York was in a much worse condition than before the attempted 
raid, for the enemy were apprised of all that had occurred, and were not 
only bolder, but threatened general destruction. Many inoffensive fami- 
lies who were comfortably settled on farms above Albany were murdered 
without the slightest provocation. The cruelties of the French and their 
allied Indians were without parallel in history. The people of Albany 
were in constant alarm, and it was not long ere the city of New York 
was thrown into great consternation by a rumor that the French con- 
templated an attack by sea. 

Nicholson and his troops were recalled as soon as the news of the 
failure of the fleet reached the governor. But they were not disbanded 
until spring. Their support, together with the repairs on the fiut dila- 
tions, greatly increased the public debt. The council and the Assembly 
joined in an urgent appeal to the English government to renew the 
effort to drive the French out of Canada. Hunter went personally 
among the Indians, and made every effort in his power to pacify them, 
and keep them true to the colonies. The operations of England hence- 
forward, in regard to the French, grew less and less momentous, 
notwithstanding New York's despairing cry, and the war was 
finally terminated by the treaty of Utrecht in 1713. 

Meanwhile the city was disturbed by an alarming and mysteri- 
ous movement on the part of the negroes. Ever since the West 
India Company introduced slavery into New York, the traffic in human 
flesh had been continued, and of late it had very greatly increased. 



THE NEGRO INSURRECTION. 495 

England was in favor of the system. She imported over three hundred 
thousand negroes from Africa between the years 1680 and 1700. Nearly 
half of the population of Xew York City in 1712 (then about six thousand) 
was colored. All the wealthy families owned slaves, some as many as 
fifty. People of moderate means were content with from three to half 
a dozen in their households, but those were esteemed as necessary as 
chairs or tables. There was no unity among the slaves, and it was not 
supposed that there could lie any possible political danger from their 
joint action. They were as rude and ignorant as any other barbarians, 
and excessively stupid. In anger, however, it was found that they could 
prove themselves positively fiendish. A few who had received some 
hard usage from their masters planned a scheme of revenge, which was 
to kill as many of the citizens as possible without regard to whether they 
were the persons who had injured them or not. They met at midnight 
in the orchard of Mr. Crooke, which was not far from the present Maiden 
Lane, armed with guns, swords, hatchets, and butchers' knives. They set 
fire to an outhouse, and when the flames brought persons running to the 
spot, they fell upon and murdered them in the most shocking and brutal 
manner. Nine men were thus massacred, and six severely wounded 
One or two narrowly escaped from the inhuman assassins, and quickly 
notified the authorities of what was taking place. The governor sent a 
detachment of soldiers from the fort on a brisk run to the scene of horror, 
which so frightened the cowardly fellows that they retreated into the 
woods. Sentinels were stationed at the ferries to prevent their leaving 
the island, and the next day, with the help of the militia, they were all 
captured and brought to trial, except six, who in terror and desperation 
committed suicide. Twenty-one were condemned and executed : several 
of these were burned at the stake ; some were hanged, one was broken 
on wheels, and one hung in chains to die of starvation. Many who were 
not directly implicated were arrested for supposed complicity in the plot, 
but were afterwards released for want of sufficient evidence or pardoned 
by the governor. 

Shortly after the excitements consecpient upon the negro insurrection 
had subsided, a duel was fought by Dr. John Livingston and Thomas 
Dongan, which resulted in the death of the former. Donga n was 
tried for murder ami found guilty of manslaughter. The mayor (from 1711 
to 1714) was Colonel Caleb Heathcote, and chiefly through his instru- 
mentality, Broadway was graded this spring from Maiden Lane to the 
Commons. Shade-trees, similar to those which graced the southern por- 
tion of the street, were planted on either side to the terminus of the 
improvements. The family homestead of the Beekmans stood on a bluff 



496 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 




The Beekman Coach. 



overlooking the East River, near the present corner of Pearl and Beekman 
Streets. It was built by Hon. William Beekman in 1670. An orchard of 

fine old apple-trees 
stretched over several 
acres to the right, and 
pears and peaches were 
cultivated in large quan- 
tities on the rolling land 
in the vicinity. The gar- 
den hugged the mansion 
on two sides, and was 
one of the finest on Man- 
hattan Island. The fam- 
ily coach, of which the 
sketch is an authentic 
representation, is preserved, and in the possession of Hon. James W. 
Beekman, Vice-President of the New York Historical Society. 

Although Hunter was in harmony with his council in almost all mat- 
ters of public interest, he was in constant collision with the Assembly, 
which was opposed to the granting of a permanent revenue for the sup- 
port of the government. The House took the subject finally into grave 
consideration, and sent to the council several bills which the latter at- 
tempted to amend ; this provoked a warm controversy between the two 
branches of the legislature. The council argued from precedent, and its 
relative position as Upper House, or House of Lords. The Assembly res- 
olutely maintained that both Houses were alike Commons, and that the 
council was only an advisory board, in other words, a cipher in the gov- 
ernment. They claimed, by virtue of having been the free choice of the 
people, an inherent right to dispose of the money of the freemen of the 
colony, and declined to be influenced by the action of any former Assem- 
blies, or by the opinions of the Lords of Trade. 

Both Houses adhered so obstinately to their respective positions that 
the public debts remained unpaid. Meanwhile Hunter, by the advice of 
his council, established a Court of Chancery and exercised the office of 
chancellor himself. Rip Van Dam and Adolphe Philipse were appointed 
masters in chancery, Mr. Whilenian, register, Mr. Harrison, examiner, 
and Mr. Sharpas and Mr. Broughton, clerks. A proclamation was issued 
to signify the sitting of the court on Thursday in every week. The As- 
sembly immediately passed the two following resolutions : — 

" Resolved, That the erecting of a Court of Chancery without consent in Gen- 
eral Assembly is contrary to law, without precedent, and of dangerous conse- 
quences to the liberty ami property of the subjects. 



THE ASSEMBLY. 497 

"Resolved, That the establishing fees without consent in General Assembly 
is contrary to law." 

The council denounced the action of the Assembly in strong and bitter 
language. Hunter tried to modify the resentment of both Houses. The 
council wrote an account of the matter to the Lords of Trade, who re- 
plied, by unqualified approval of the court which Hunter had established, 
and dropped a few severe censures upon the course pursued by the As- 
sembly. They said " her Majesty had an undoubted right to erect as 
many courts in her plantations as she might think necessary for the ends 
of justice." They also expressed themselves in favor of the right of the 
council to amend money bills. 

There were a few astute lawyers in the Assembly who were skilled in 
the interpretation of the English law. William Nicolls predicted that 
the time was not far distant when the logic of the House would be hon- 
ored by the ablest and best minds in England. And it is an interesting 
fact that the righl of the King to erect a Court of Chancery without con- 
senl of Parliament, was warmly contested in England in 1734, and in 
177~>. Hunter and his council were in the wrong. No such court could 
legally have been instituted without consent of the Assembly. 

The House immediately voted an address to the queen, declaring their 
willingness to support her government, but complaining of misapplica- 
tions in the treasury ; and intimating suspicions that it had been mis- 
represented, it prayed that Hunter might he ordered to consent to a 
law for supporting an agent to represent the House at the Court of Eng- 
land. Provoked beyond endurance at such proceedings, and to put an 
end to the unprofitable disputes between the Houses, Hunter, whose hon- 
esty of purpose was as clear as the sunlight, dissolved the Assembly. 

<)t course an election followed, and the politicians who had 

1714. 

long been accustomed to the tactics of faction entered into the 
contest, which was spirited and exciting. Several new members were 
returned, but the majority were of the same mind as those who had 
preceded them. The invincible William Nicolls was again elected 
speaker. Hunter met the new House with the announcement that la- 
should pass no law whatever until it had made provision for the govern- 
ment. He said he had begged his bread for several years and should 
now take another course. Having no alternative but to comply or break 
up immediately, the House cautiously provided for a revenue for one 
year, and then proceeded to other business. The debts of the govern- 
ment remained unnoticed until the autumn session. When the claims 
were called in. the amount was prodigious. It exceeded £ 48,000. The 
members were overwhelmed with consternation. Weeks were spent in 
discussing methods tor its liquidation. 



4!)S HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

An Act was finally passed for the issue of bills of credit to the full 
amount, to be lodged in the hands of the treasurer, Colonel Abraham De 
Peyster, and circulated by him according to the directions of the Act. 
There was no such thing then as a science of finance, and but little to be 
learned from the financial experience of the civilized world. Neither was it 
a fixed fact that a government could make a currency to suit its own fancy, 
and carry on trade independent of the rest of mankind. It is not strange 
that our early legislators fell into blunders and were sometimes panic- 
stricken. It is more a matter of surprise that they did not make irretriev- 
able mistakes, since they were obliged to act from the dictates of common- 
sense rather than precedent. And legislation was then, as well as at the 
present moment, a cheap prescription, purchased by a little public clamor. 

Scarcely had this knotty question been settled, ere the news of Queen 
Anne's death, and of the accession of Geome I. to the throne of 

Oct. 6. 

England, reached New York. In honor of the new sovereign there 
was a general illumination of the city, and bonfires and torchlight pro- 
cessions added brilliancy to the display. 

The Assembly was dissolved by the death of the queen, and when the 
Assemblymen received their pay, Stephen De Lancey immediately do- 
nated his fee, £ 50, to the corporation, to be expended in a city clock, 
which with four dials soon graced the very respectable and substantial 
City Hall, and was found to be a great convenience to the citizens. 

The spring election of 1715 was more satisfactory to Hunter 
than any which had preceded it. The House came together in 
May, and the first subject discussed was naturally that of the 
revenue. Lewis Morris, the member from the borough of Westchester, 
put all the vigor of his intellect into a plan for the governor's relief. 
He said that narrow-mindedness and penury were sure to defeat their 
own ends. He painted in glowing colors Hunter's four years of patient 
and uncomplaining service, his struggle to live, his hardships and priva- 
tions cheerfully borne, and his undeniable right to a liberal support. In 
spite of his unattractive temper and many glaring faults, Morris wielded 
a strong influence. A few conservative members resisted his logic to 
the last. Arguments were used which were concise, clear, convincing, 
and sometimes delivered with grave irony. Mr. Mulford from Suffolk 
County was the only one who descended to personal abuse. He denounced 
the whole question of the revenue as a " put-up job " of the government. 
He was a man of opinions, but of feeble judgment, and, his remarks be- 
coming offensive, he was expelled from the House. The next day it was 
found that the revenue party were in the majority, and to facilitate mat- 
ters Hunter consented to the Naturalization Bill, which resulted in the 
immediate settlement of a revenue for five years. 



CHIEF JUSTICE LEWIS MORRIS. 499 

Mompesson died in June of this year, and Hunter immediately ap- 
pointed Lewis Morris chief justice of the province in his stead. In 
asking the Lords of Trade for their confirmation of his choice, Hunter 
said that Morris was the fittest man in New York for the trust, for 
besides heing honest he was able to live without a salary. The strongesl 
argument in his favor, however, was his recent valuable services in the 
Assembly, "fur the good of the government." He hail many enemies, 
and it was whispered that he had paid Hunter a large sum of money, 
and that he had bribed some of the prominent counselors of the gov- 
ernor in order to prevent their interference and thus enable him to se- 




Portrait of Chief Justice Lewis Morris. 
(Copied through courtesy of Hon. William A. Whithead, from original pen miniature by Watson.) 

cure his promotion. When that accusation was effectually contradicted 
he was sneeringly called the governor's favorite, " Very well." said Hun- 
ter, " no truer word was ever spoken. He is my favorite, and why should 
he not be when he is so well worthy '. " Then it was argued that he was 
constantly liable to indiscretion, and that his knowledge of law had been 
gathered by experience and observation, rather than by profound study. 
His subsequent career showed him to have been one of the most search- 
ing and sagacious of judges, and even those who were the bitterest in 
their opposition at first, were constrained finally to admit that he was 
austerely just in his decisions. 



500 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

George Clarke, the secretary of the province, was appointed to fill 
Mompesson's place in the council at New York, and David Jamison; the 
chief justice of New Jersey, was assigned to the vacancy in the council 
of that province. Clarke was descended from the Clarkes of Somerset- 
shire, whose residence was at Swainswick, near Bath. His wife was of 
royal blood. She was Ann Hyde, a cousin of Queen Anne. Clarke had 
filled the office of secretary since 1703, and his abilities had won him 
deserved prominence in the colony. Twenty years later we shall find 
him lieutenant-governor of New York. 

Dr. Samuel Staats died shortly afterward, and Chief Justice Jamison 
was appointed in his stead in the New York council. The Lords of 
Trade remembered Jamison as one not well spoken of by Lord Bellomont, 
and wrote to Hunter to inqiure what manner of life he had led since that 
period. Hunter replied that he had constantly held important official 
positions, had acquired a large estate, had been noted for his art and 
management in legal processes, had been of unblemished life and con- 
versation, and had enjoyed a large measure of distinction because of 
his exemplary piety and religious zeal. As for what had been formerly 
reported, Hunter said, " Lord Bellomont must have been grossly imposed 
upon, for although Jamison had been a little wild in his young days, he 
had never been sentenced to be hung for burning tbe Bible in Scotland, 
and the story of his having had two wives was notoriously false." 

The residence of many of the counselors was some distance from the 
city, hence Hunter recommended five more names to the Lords of Trade. 
They were, Augustine Graham, who had ripened into a politician quite 
as polished and scarcely less subtile than his honored sire; Dr. John 
Johnson, the recently elected mayor of the city ; Stephen De Lancey ; 
Robert Lurting ; and Robert Watts. Hunter said they were all men of 
large wealth, which was an answer to the leading question invariably 
asked by the English statesmen when a candidate was proposed. Their 
first confidence was in real sterling business talent, and although the 
idea was then scarcely understood, and has since been mercilessly mis- 
construed, the root of the whole matter was in the fact that men are 
developed and made better by taking their lots and places in the tasks, 
enterprises, temptations, and vicissitudes of life, working their way, not 
only that civilization may be extended and Christianity strengthened, 
but that they themselves may represent a more perfect type of manhood. 
Inherited wealth has not nnfrequently proven a bane to its possessor, 
and clogged instead of accelerated the wheels of progress ; but the crea- 
tion of property is, and always has been, one of the best schools for 
bringing into full play the varied powers of which men's natures are 



ROBERT WATTS. 501 

compounded. The history of New York illustrates the assertion. It is 
said, and sometimes with a sneer, that the metropolis was founded by 
traders (that every man kept a store), and that in its present proportions 
it is only an outgrowth of commerce. We stand perpetually accused of 
being a money-making and a dollar-loving people. But we do not. feel 
reproached. We have learned that whatever is strong, noble, just, ami 
possible, whether it is the pursuit of wealth, art, or fame, is good fur the 
world through the unfolding of individual character and the consequent 
uplifting of society. We have the satisfaction of knowing that our money- 
making citizens, through every decade since we were a little fur-station, 
have been second to none in generous impulse, in Catholic charity, in 
Christian progress, and in public spirit. We have seen money How from 
their coffers like water from Croton Lake. We have seen churches built, 
we have seen schools anil colleges established, we have seen asylums 
endowed, we have seen hospitals and homes provided, and we have seen 
the current of liberal giving making its way beyond our own limits, 
until, like Holland's canals, it extends through every habitable portion of 
our vast country. What it has done towards supplying human wants, 
encouraging thrift, and diffusing virtue and intelligence and education, 
we can only comprehend by a careful investigation of how American 
society has been built up from the foundation. Let us cease to under- 
value the one talent without which we should have been narrow-minded 
indeed. Let us bear in remembrance, also, that riches honestly acquired 
are entirely consistent with the spirit of Christianity, and without which 
Church and State would alike languish. 

Robert Watts had been a resident of New York about five years. He 
came from Scotland. The home of the Watts family was Rosehill, 1 
an ancient estate or district about a mile west of Edinburgh, on tin- 
old Glasgow road. Hunter named Robert Watts to the Lords of Trade, 
as " a gentleman of sound sense, high respectability, and known affection 
to the government," He seems to have been a young man of many 
personal attractions, of considerable culture, and of rare promise. He 
married, the year before, Mary, the daughter of William Nicolls and 
Anne Van Rensselaer. His son, the afterwards celebrated Hon. John 
Watts, was born April 5, 1715. The latter was precocious from his very 

1 The Rosehill estate is nearly all built over, and the Caledonian Railway passes through it. 
The Watts homestead is still standing, anil in a fair state of preservation ; it is a quaint, old- 
fashioned building, some sixty feet square, and three stories high, with four windows in a row 
on every floor. Its situation is high, affording a splendid view to the west and south. There 
is a two-story building about twenty feet square a little to the rear of it, like a tower, sepa- 
rate for offices. The extensive grounds in connection with the place have been used for some 
years as a coal-depot by the Caledonian Railway Company. 



502 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YOKE. 

babyhood, and as soon as old enough he was sent abroad to complete a 
finished education. 1 

The social attractions of the winter of 1715 - 1G were greater than they 
had ever been. Families who had been estranged for long and weary 
years, through political and other disturbances, became friends, and hos- 
pitably entertained each other. Dinner-parties were an almost every-day 
occurrence, and there were several notable weddings and other fites. In 
receiving guests the same etiquette and ceremony were observed as in the 
higher European circles. The governor was in a happier frame of mind 
than before the Assembly provided for his salary, and now he was hoping 
to have the £ 20,000 refunded to him from the English government, which 
he had expended from his own purse in his care of the Germans. He en- 
tered into the gayeties of the winter with a relish, and was the magnetic 
center of every assemblage. Lady Hunter, the bright particular star of 
his destiny, was always by his side and elicited the most sincere homage 
and admiration. She was a lady of superior education and rare accom- 
plishments, gentle, self-contained, and unselfish, shining in society rather 
through the reflected light of her husband, but in domestic life radiating 
a steady luster all her own, which was the more charming because of her 
sweetness of disposition and strength of character. Among those who 
formed the "court circle," as it was aptly styled, were the Van Cort- 
landts (there were several families of Van Cortlandts ; Philip, the second 
Lord of the Manor, had recently married Catharine, daughter of Hon. 
Abraham De Peyster, and, a little later, the daughter of Jacobus Van 
Cortlandt was married to Abraham De Peyster, Jr.), Bayards, Van Dams, 
(Rip Van Dam, Jr., was married the following year to Judith Bayard), 
( llarkes, Morrises, De Lanceys, IV Peysters, Beekmans, Nicollses, Wattses, 



1 John AVatts married, in 1742, Ann De Lancey. Their children were : 1, Robert, who mar- 
ried Mary, daughter of Lord Stirling ; 2, Ann, who married Archibald Kennedy, afterwards 
Earl of Cassilis ; 3 and 4, Stephen and Susanna, twins, both of whom died young ; 5, John, 
born in 1749 (died in 1836), who married his cousin Jane De Lancey ; 6, Susanna, who mar- 
ried Philip Kearny ; 7, Mary, who married Sir John Johnson ; 8, Stephen, who married in 
England, Miss Sarah Nugent ; 9, Margaret, born in 1775 (died in 1836), who married Major 
Robert Leake. 

John Watts, the third son of John Watts, Senior, who married, in 1774, Jane, daughter of 
Peter De Lancey and Elizabeth ('olden, had children as follows : 1, John, who never mar- 
ried ; 2, Henry, who never married ; 3, Robert, who never married, but took the name of 
Leake, and a fortune (died in 1830) ; 4, George, an army officer, who never married ; 5, 
Stephen, who never married ; 6, Ann, who never married ; 7, Jane, who never married ; 8, 
Elizabeth who married Henry Laight (had no children) ; 9, Susan who married her cousin 
Philip Kearny, and was the mother of the late lamented Major-General Philip Kearny ; 10, 
Mary Justina, who married Hon. Frederic de Peyster, and was the mother of Major-Gen- 
eral John Watts de Peyster. 



JAMES ALEXANDER. 503 

Gouverneurs, Provoosts, Staatses, Fhilipses, Van Homes, and others. It 
is necessary for a clear understanding of the peculiar workings of the com- 
plicated political machinery of New York prior to 1776, to keep in mind 
the relationship of the chief actors on the public stage. Nearly all the 
prominent families were connected by marriage, and, in many instances, 
doubly and trebly connected. 

The following summer Lady Hunter died, after a short and 
severe illness, and Hunter was so smitten by the affliction that he 
never recovered his former cheerfulness during his stay in New York. 
Indeed, his subsequent failure of health, and consequent petition to the 
Lords of Trade to be allowed to return to England, was attributed to his 
great, hopeless sorrow for her loss. 

There were two arrivals worthy of notice this season. James Alexan- 
der, from Scotland, the father of Lord Stirling, and William Smith from 
Buckinghamshire, England, the father of the well-known historian of 
New 7 York. 

• Fames Alexander was a young lawyer of good birth and education. 
His special excellence was in the knowledge of mathematics. He had 
been an officer of engineers in Scotland. Hunter no sooner made his 
acquaintance than he perceived that such unusual talents might be 
turned to account in this country ; and he accordingly appointed him 
surveyor-general of New Jersey, where he shortly projected an advan- 
tageous boundary between New York and New Jersey, which, however, 
was qo1 agreed upon at the time. Alexander was also in the secretary's 
office, and was attorney-general (for two years) of the New York province. 
Within five years he occupied a prominent seat in the councils of both 
New York ami New Jersej 

He married, in 1721, the granddaughter of Johannes De Peyster (the 
first of that honorable name in this country). 1 Their oidy son was Wil- 
liam, afterwards Earl of Stirling. They had four daughters, Mary, who 
married Peter Van Brugh Livingston; Elizabeth, who married John 
Stevens: Catharine, who married Walter Rutherford; and Susanna, who 

1 An error in regard to the marriage of James Alexander having been many times 
the same is here corrected by the authentic genealogy of the lady whom he married. Maria 
De Peyster, daughter of Johannes De Peyster, married, 1, Paulus Schrick (who was born in 
Hartford, Connecticut, and whose house in 1686 was on the east side of Broad Street) ; 2, 
John Spratt, styled " Gentleman " in the old records ; 3, David Provoost, mayor of the city in 
1699. Maria, daughter of John Spratt and Maria De Peyster, married, October 15, 1711, 
Samuel Provoost, and after his death, she married, in 1721, James Alexander. Thus it was 
not the widow of David Provoost whom Alexander married, as generally supposed, but the 
widow of Samuel Provoost, who was herself tin' daughter of Mrs, David Provoost by a for- 
mer husband. 



. r >04 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

married .John Reed, all ladies of marked ability and singular strength of 
character. Mrs. Alexander is described as possessing great mental vigor 
and business talent. She conducted the mercantile affairs of be* husband 
in her own name for some years after his death. 

James Alexander was a great acquisition to the community. He was 
not only a lawyer and mathematician, but he developed into a distin- 
guished politician, statesman, and man of science. He found time amid 
his various labors for extensive study. He, with Dr. Franklin and others, 
founded the American Philosophical Society, and maintained a constant 
correspondence with Halley, the Astronomer Eoyal, and other learned dig- 
nitaries in different parts of Europe. 1 

Hunter was a Low-Churchman. He tried to sustain a certain amount 
of social intercourse with Eev. Mr. Vesey, of Trinity Church, but was 
treated with coolness and apparent suspicion. He finally contented him- 
self with giving straightforward attention to matters which might prop- 
erly be considered within his province as the head of the government, 
was active in promoting the general interests of religion, and the spread 
of the gospel throughout the province, and, having satisfied his conscience, 
allowed the clergy to nurse their prejudices. Rev. Mr. Vesey was one 
of the most excellent and useful of men, but, like his contemporaries 
across the water, exceedingly narrow and bigoted. All his studies, his 
mental faculties, his daily tasks — everything within him and without 
him was consecrated to his pastoral work. He was tender of the Church, 
spiritually and temporally, and watched over it with jealous care. One 
of his warmest friends and most cordial supporters was Colonel Caleb 
Heathcote, who was also an agent for the Society for Propagating the 
Gospel in Foreign Parts, and took personal interest in the missionaries 
who were from time to time sent among the Indians. The good divine 
was a grave, thoughtful man, his face often wearing the expression of deep 
melancholy; in the company of friends, however, he was affable and 
cheerful, and in his domestic relations he was most gentle and affec- 
tionate. 2 

One of the charges made by E,ev. Mr. Vesey against Hunter to the 
Bishop of London was, that he favored the Presbyterians. The latter 

1 .James Alexander died in 1756. He accumulated a large estate, and lived in the 
style of the English gentry. His country-seat was in New Jersey. Mrs. Alexander, in con- 
tinuing the business of her husband after his death, was efficiently aided by her son William, 
until a contract for supplying the king's troops with clothing and provisions during the 
French war brought him under the notice of the military Shirley, who made him his aid 
and private secretary, and finally took him to England, where the young man found himself 
the nearest male heir to the Earldom of Stirling. Mrs. Alexander died in 1761. 

' 2 See portrait of Rev. Mr. Vesey on page 436. 



THE " DE PEYSTER GARDEN." 



. r )05 



were spoken of as dissenting Protestants. 



<s* I 




VU ft. 


s& 




t £ s Presbyterian 


- T ? Church 


'ftp- Lot 








»a i4 a 




■j) 


2 f a A- de Peyster 


> 






?^- 




-- 7 taumel Bavard 










■'-■ !i 


■'- ', 


5ft.3in. |2> rtES= 



'.■■ 




- - f. 


I 

15 ft. 


95 ft 


i ? 


48 ft. 


S ?A. de Peyster 


SJJ p Abraham de Peyster 

r £ 132 ft. 


•3| 


X ? Samuel Bayard 
r S J c? ft. 


1 


X ? Samuel Bayard 
r » ie?ft. 


" p Abraham de Peyster 
■"' ~ 183 ft. 




a 2 

* p Abraham de Peysfcer 

r o 188 ft. 




" o Samuel Bayard 

■~ * 1 22 ft. 




" o Samuel Bayard 
■ * 132 ft. 




^ © Abraham de Peyster 

r '•* 133 ft. 




^ I s Abraham de Peyster 
r *» 122 ft. 




X o Samuel Bayard 

& '<* 122 ft. 




w Abram de Pevater 
? N °- 4 76ft. 


£p 


1 




£ % Samuel Bayard 
"* " 15 ft. 




-" Gabi [i 1 'I i |' ion 

P 75 ft. 



Smith St. (~ i„nu,-,: r ,t ,„ lTuijbrflai 
Map of the " De Peyster Garden." 
north side of Wall Street, in 171S. From the original 
parchment in possession of Hon. Frederic de Peyster, 
President of New York Historical Society. 

1 The lot was purchased from the heirs of Gabriel Thomp- 
it from the " De Peyster Garden." 



There was as yet but a mere 
handful of them m New York, 
and since 1706 they had wor- 
shiped in private houses. Hun- 
ter firmly protected them in 
all their rights. Having 
finally gained sufficient 
strength, they decided to pur- 
chase a lot in Wall Street, near 
the ( lity Hall, and build a 
church. 1 The edifice was erected 
the following year. Rev. .Tames 
Anderson was the first pastor; 
the congregation were allowed 
to meet for public worship, prior 
to the completion of the church, 
in the City Hall, by special act 
of the corporation. The same 
organization now worship in the 
elegant stone structure on Fifth 
Avenue, between Eleventh and 
Twelfth Streets. 

The ancient " De Peyster 
Garden," which was purchased 
from Governor Dongan by C< >1< i- 
nel Abraham De Peyster and 
Colonel Nicholas Bayard, and 
which embraced unite an extent 
of valuable territory to the north 
of Wall Street, was surveyed and 
laid out in lots in the early part 
of this year. There were twen- 
ty-two of these lots, besides the 
site of the City Hall, previously 
donated by De Peyster, and the 
one recently occupied by the 
trustees of the new Presbyterian 
Church. The map, which is an 
authentic copy of the antique 

who had originally purchased 



506 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

original, 1 illustrates the condition of Wall Street at this date, and is too 
interesting to be omitted. 

Not far from this time a party of Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, of the 
school of Knox, emigrated from Londonderry, Ireland, and found their 
Canaan in a little nook in New Hampshire, which four years afterward 
was incorporated into a town and called Londonderry. John Woodburn, 
the great-grandfather of Hon. Horace Greeley, was one of those pioneers 
of the New England forests. It was they who introduced the culture 
of potatoes into the northern settlements. Within twelve months the 
seed had been brought to New York and planted. The product was looked 
upon with marked disfavor at first. The tops, when in full bloom, were 
decidedly ornamental, and were cultivated in the gardens along the 
" Broadway road " simply for the flower. At least such was the case for 
a season or two. The native country of the potato is still a matter of 
doubt. Common report and general belief refers it to Peru. It is sup- 
posed they were introduced into Europe by the Spaniards, but their use 
as an esculent was very tardily adopted. Walter Raleigh carried some 
to England from Virginia in 158G. He had found them among the 
Indians, whose traditions seemed to warrant the conclusion that they 
had been brought a long distance from the south. There have been 
more than fifty different varieties cultivated since that period. Of these 
such have been perpetuated as were found best adapted to each climate or 
particular district. 

In June, 1719, vigorous measures were taken to establish the 
partition-line between New York and New Jersey, as also between 
New York and Connecticut. The marks which were left by the commis- 
sioners under Dongan in 1683 had been worn out by time, or destroyed 
by evil-disposed persons, and thus many people residing near the lines 
were shirking both the taxes and the laws, by claiming first to live in 
one province and then in the other, as policy prompted. Allan Girard, 
who had been appointed surveyor-general of New York in place of Colo- 
nel Augustine Graham (recently deceased) and James Alexander, took 
repeated observations to find the chief stream which formed the river 
Delaware, and finally fixed the line between New York and New Jersey. 
Their decisions, which were more nearly correct than any which followed, 
resulted in a chronic controversy between the two provinces, which had 
hardly been settled at the time of the Revolution. 2 In 1748 Lewis 

1 Copied through the courtesy of Hon. Frederic de Peyster. 

2 In regard to the extensive grants of lands along the frontiers of the provinces, Alexander 
said, that although they were douhtless productive of great evils to New York, the buyers 
had paid sums, first to the natives for their rights, afterwards government fees attending the 



HON. WILLIAM NICOLLS. 507 

Morris made a speech before the New York Assembly, in which he said 
that the affair of the partition-line dated back as far as he could remem- 
ber, and while he did not consider himself able to judge correctly as to 
whether it should be a mile farther north or south, as he was no master 
of mathematics, and had never examined the surveyor's reports, vet it 
had cost the provinces so much already that he did not esteem it worth 
while to meddle with it further. The people along the line were in con- 
stant jangle with each other, and quarrels with the government and serious 
litigations were continually multiplying relative to the rights of soil and 
jurisdiction. At one time two men, whose farms lay in the disputed 
territory, joined the New Jersey militia, and were promptly threatened 
with imprisonment by the commander of the New 7 York militia if they 
ventured to serve. Others were arrested for nonpayment of taxes, which 
gave abundant business to the courts, and created no little asperity 
among the lawyers. It was the subject of warm discussions at the 
court of St. James, and the correspondence between the Lords of Trade 
and the leading men of New York and New Jersey forms almost a library 
of itself. 1 

Mole than a year had elapsed since William Nicolls, on account of 
failing health, had declined by letter his position as speaker of the 
Assembly, which he had held for sixteen years; 2 Robert Livingston 
was chosen in his stead. For some months Hunter had been quietly 
making preparations to return to England. But he greatly feared that 

patents, amounting to quite as much he thought as the land was worth, and to deprive such 
people of their possessions was a harsh, unjust, and dangerous proceeding. 

1 Ferdinando John Paris was the agent from New Jersey in London during many of the 
years while this controversy was going on, and has left the papers and letters relating to the 
partition-lines in a condition of most admirable arrangement. 

2 William Nicolls died in 1722, aged sixty-six years. His large estate on Long Island, 
which he called Islip, in honor of the ancient village of that name, six miles from the Univer- 
sity of Oxford, where his father was bom, was divided among his six children. They wen 
1, Benjamin, who married his cousin Charity Floyd, and died in 1724, his widow subsequently 
becoming the wife of Rev. Dr. Samuel Johnson, first president of King's (Columbia) College, 
and mother of Samuel William Johnson, the first president of the same institution after it 
became Columbia College ; 2, William, who for many years was speaker of the New York 
Assembly, as his father had been before him, — a shy, timid, uncommunicative, but candid 
and sincere man, who never married, but spent the greater part of his life in perplexing 
lawsuits, occasioned by the unsettled condition of his father's and brother's affairs ; 3. Rens- 
selaer, who married and resided near Albany : 4, Mary, who married Robert Watts ; 5, 
< 'atharine, who married John Havens, of Shelter Island, and was the mother of Nicoll Havens, 
and grandmother of Hon. John Nicoll Havens ; 6, Frances, who married Edward Holland. 

In a memorandum left by Hon. John Watts, Senior, is the following paragraph : "As 
my own father had added an s to his name (making Watt Watts), for what reason 1 have 
never heard, Mr. Nicolls left the s out of his name, calling himself, as all his descendants 
have done, Nicoll." 



508 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

it might occasion intrigues if it should be known that he was to resign 
his government, and he therefore kept his affairs an absolute secret. Not 
one person knew of his intentions, until, on the 24th of June, he sum- 
moned the House before him, and after transacting the special 

June 24. L 

business for which they had been called, he arose and addressed 
them in the following words : — 

" Gentlemen, I have sent for you that you may be witness to my assent to 
the Acts passed by the General Assembly in this session. I hope that what 
remains unfinished may be perfected by to-morrow, when I intend to close the 
session. 

" I take this opportunity also to acquaint you that my uncertain state of 
health, the care of my little family, 1 and my private affairs on the other side, 
have at last determined me to make use of that license of absence which was 
some time ago graciously granted me, but with a firm resolution to return 
again to you, if it is his Majesty's pleasure that I should do so ; but if that 
proves otherwise. I assure you that whilst I live, I shall be watchful and indus- 
trious to promote the interest and welfare of this country, of which I think I 
am under the strongest obligations for the future to account myself a country- 
man. I look with pleasure upon the present quiet and prosperous state of the 
people here, whilst I remember the condition in which I found them upon my 
arrival. As the very name of party or faction seems to be forgotten, may it 
ever lie buried in oblivion, and no more strife ever happen amongst you, but 
that laudable emulation who shall prove himself the most zealous servant and 
dutiful subject of the best of princes, and most useful member of a well-estab- 
lished and flourishing community, of which you, gentlemen, have given a happy 
example." 

The reply of the Assembly through Robert Livingston, Speaker, was 
equally courteous and to the point : — 

" Sir, when we reflect upon your past conduct, your just, mild, and tender 
administration, it heightens the concern we have for your departure, and makes 
our grief such as words cannot truly express. You have governed well and 
wisely, like a prudent magistrate, like an affectionate parent ; and wherever you 
go, and whatever station the Divine Providence shall please to assign you, our 
sincere desire and prayers for the happiness of you and yours shall always attend 
you. We have seen many governors, and may see more ; and as none of those 
who had the honor to serve in your station were ever so justly fixed in the affec- 
tions of the governed, so those to come will acquire no mean reputation when 
it can be said of them their conduct has been like yours. 

1 The late Lady Huuter was heir to the estate of Sir Thomas Orly, and Hunter wished to 
confirm the property to his five children, Thomas, Charles, Catharine, Henrietta, and Char- 
lotte. He also hoped to recover from the English treasury what was due him on account 
of the Germans. 



SCHUYLER PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL. . r )U!) 

" We thankfully accept the honor you do us in calling yourself our country- 
man. Give us leave then to desire that you will not forget this as your country, 
and, if you can, make haste to return to it. But if the service of our sovereign 
will not admit of what we so earnestly desire, and his commands deny us that 
happiness, permit us to address you as our friend, and give us your assistance 
when we are oppressed with an administration the reverse of yours." 

No governor ever left New York with greater eclat or carried with him 
more substantial tokens of good-will and affection. He sailed in 
July, and the chief command of the province devolved upon Peter 
Schuyler, as the oldest member of the council. His short administration 
was marked by very few events of note. The Assembly was not con- 
vened, by special instructions from the Lords of Trade, as it was a mooted 
question whether it could legally act under Schuyler, and it was thought 
that an election at the present time would be prejudicial to the interests 
of the crown. The boundary between New York and Canada never hav- 
ing been established with any accuracy, the French were extending their 
settlements across the borders, and pushing themselves into the immediate 
country of the Five Nations. Robert Livingston called the attention of 
Schuyler to these alarming encroachments, and Myndert Schuyler and 
Eobert Livingston, Jr., who had married Peter Schuyler's only daughter, 
were sent as agents to treat with the sachems individually, at their 
castles, hoping to prevent them from going over to the French. The 
result was a new treaty with these powerful and ever vacillating tribes, 
in order to confirm and preserve the ancient league. The records of that 
particular period are also crowded with the transactions respecting the 
partition-line between New York and New Jersey. 

Schuyler was advanced in years, but was modest, brave, shrewd, and 
reticent, though less active than formerly. He trusted very much to 
the energetic counsel of Adolphe Philipse, and for lodging the king's seal 
in the hands of the latter was unsparingly criticised. Philipse had been a 
member of the council for fourteen or more years, and the agent for New 
York at the court of George I., for some months prior to Hunter's depart- 
ure from the province. He was a sedate bachelor of fifty-four, and, though 
no scholar, he was a gentleman, and possessed a character of more than 
common accomplishments and strength. He was of a penurious turn of 
mind, and had been so pronounced in his opinions regarding finance and 
governmental outlays as to bring himself into direct antagonism with 
the warm personal friends of Hunter. By the king's instructions the 
president of the council was to receive one half of the salary and all the 
perquisites of a governor. A dispute arose whether the word "half" did 
not extend to "all the perquisites " as well as to the salary. Schuyler 



510 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



retained the whole, and in his right to do so was ably sustained by 
Philipse. 

Upon Hunter's arrival in England he effected a change of business 
with William Burnet, by resigning the government of New York and 
New Jersey, and accepting an offer of comptroller of the customs in Lon- 
don. In 1727 he was appointed governor of Jamaica. He died in 17:>4. 
He maintained an active correspondence with his friends in New York 
and New Jersey from the time he left the provinces to the end of his life, 
and was kept informed of all events of consequence political and per- 
sonal. He continued to be a property-owner also, and in 1730 wrote to 
James Alexander, expressing his desire to purchase six or seven hundred 
acres of land at New Brunswick, if it could be bought reasonably. Alex- 
ander in reply told him that the country about there was being settled 
very fast, and that " all the way for thirty miles south was a continuous 
line of fences and many good farmers' houses " ; that a lot of ground in 
New Brunswick had grown to nearly as high a price as so much ground 
in the heart of New York. 1 

Thirteen months from the time of Hunter's farewell to New York, 
on the 20th of September, 1720, Schuyler was relieved from executive 
duties by the arrival of Governor William Burnet. 

1 Whitehead's Contributions to East Jersey History. Rutherford MSS. 




jTANDEM VIN.CITUHI — ' 
Morns Arms. 
( For description see page 545.) 



CONDITION OF THE PROVINCE. 511 



CHAPTER XXIV 



GOVERNOR WILLIAM BURNET. 
Governor William Burnet. — Social Events. — Burnet's Marriage. — Dr.. Cadwal- 

LADER COLDEN. — ROBERT LIVINGSTON SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY. — JOHN WATSON 

the First Portrait-Painter. — Robert Walters. — Burnet* s Indian Policy. — 
Rev. Jonathan Edwards. — Burnet's Council. — Young Men going West. — Bur- 
net's Theology. — The French Protestants. — Stephen De Lancey. — William 
Bradford. — The First Newspaper in New York. — The Silver-toned Bell. — 
Burnet and the Indian Chiefs. — Death of George I. — Burnet's Departure for 
Boston. —The New Powder-Magazine. — Governor John Montgomery. — Con- 
ference with the Indians at Albany. — James De Lancey. — The First Library 
in New York. — The Jews' Burial-Place. — The City Charter. — First Fire-En- 
gines in New York. — First Engine-House. — Rip Van Dam President of Council 
and Acting Governor of New York. 

THE advent of Governor Burnet was an event of special interest. 
New York was in holiday attire. Flags were flying, cannon speak- 
ing significant welcome, and the military on parade in full uni- 1730. 
form. It was a beautiful September day, and the balconies of all ^p* 2°- 
the houses along the route were filled with ladies, as the new governor 
was escorted with stately ceremony to the City Hall in Wall Street, ac- 
cording to ancient usage, to publish his commission. 

William Burnet was the son of the celebrated prelate. Bishop Burnet. 
He was named for the Prince of Orange, who stood sponsor for him at his 
baptism. He was a free-and-easy widower, large, graceful, of stately 
presence, dignified on occasions, but usually gay, talkative, and conde- 
scending. He was esteemed, handsome, and greatly admired by the 
ladies, to whom he was specially devoted when in their presence. His 
gallantry was not a recommendation, however, to public favor. Some 
of the grave heads in high places were shaken dubiously. One gentle- 
man wrote to Hunter, " We do not know yet how the fathers and hus- 
bands are going to like Governor Burnet, but we are quite sure the wives 
and daughters do so sufficiently." 

He had been carefully educated by his learned lather, who, it is said, 
saw nothing in the youth but faint promise of moderate scholarship, until 



512 



II I STORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



he was at least twenty years of age, and had been so uneasy on the sub- 
ject that he had counseled anxiously with Sir Isaac Newton in relation 
to the best methods for training so refractory a mind. William took a 
sudden turn finally; books became his delight as well as his companions, 
and he began to hoard them as a miser hoards gold. One of his relatives 
was charged with the buying of new books, and the frequent and expen- 
sive orders brought many a sharp and serious rebuke upon the young 
student's thoughtless head, for he was greatly exceeding his income. 
When this restraint became intolerable, he drew upon his brothers for 




Portrait of Governor Burnet. 



money. But they only laughed at his bookish proclivities, and admon- 
ished him to browse in his own pastures. 

His early life was passed in the atmosphere of William and Mary's 
Court. As he matured into manhood he was in constant, and daily inter- 
course with the most cultivated and polished men of the age. He traveled 
extensively and became thoroughly conversant with the language and 
customs of the different nations of Europe. He was free from affectation, 
and treated all classes with the most cordial politeness. He possessed an 
exhaustless fund of humor and anecdote, but he was not always noted 
for the discrimination with width he made choice of friends. His 
brother Gilbert wrote to him. shortly after he reached New York, in a 
strain of great caution, advising him against being "led by his genial and 
winning temper into too much familiarity, which might be turned to his 
great disadvantage " 



BURNET'S MARRIAGE. 513 

He was pleased with the society of >."ew York, which compared favor- 
ably with that tn which he had been accustomed. He met, within a week 
after his arrival, the lady whom he married the following spring. Sin- 
was Anne Marie, the daughter of Abraham Van Home and Maria Pro- 
voost, a beautiful and accomplished young woman of eighteen summers. 
The Van Homes were an ancient and eminently respectable family of 
Dutch ancestry. No one of the name had hitherto figured conspicuously 
in political life, but they were wealthy and refined people Abraham 
Van Home was a merchant, owning and occupying a large storehouse, 




Portrait of Mrs. Burnet. 

and a bolting and baking house, besides other property. He was ap- 
pointed to the council of New York through the recommendation of 
Burnet in 1722, and held the office until his death in 1741. 1 

Burnet and Hunter were personal friends, and the affairs and leading 
characters of New York were thoroughly discussed by them before the 
former accepted the chair of state. He was better prepared, therefore, for 
active and efficient work from the beginning of his administration than 
his predecessors had been. His opinions and tastes differed materially 
from those of Hunter, and the friends of the latter were not altogether 
predisposed in his favor. He was treated with courtesy, however. Lewis 

1 Governor Burnet buried his wife, Anne Marie, or " Mary," as he calls her in his will, in 
1727, while in New York ; also one child. He had one son, Gilbert, by his first marriage, 
who was sent to England upon his death in 1 729. He had children by his second marriage. 
William. Man*, anil Thomas. Mary married William Browne, of Beverly, Massachusetts. 
New England Historical Oenealmjiai! JU<ji-!i r, Y.<1. V. p. 49. 
3a 



514 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Morris, bustling, penetrating, and in many things inconsistent, stood 
highest in his confidence, and still filled the office of chief justice. Bur- 
net was exceedingly fond of him. Lewis Morris, Jr., was taken into the 
council in place of Caleb Heathcote, recently deceased. Hunter, as has 
been seen, was liberal in his religious views, and not disposed to make 
tenets and doctrines the test of friendship. Burnet, on the contrary, was 
inclined to theological arguments, and rarely let his heart go out towards 
those who differed from him in matters of religion. 

The Lords of Trade deemed it wise that the Assembly, which had been 
so favorably disposed towards the government before Hunter resigned, 
should be continued without an election. This measure was opposed by 
Schuyler and Philipse, on the ground of its illegality. Hence Burnet 
removed them both from the council, and appointed Dr. Cadwallader 
Colden and James Alexander in their places. It was a hostile step, and 
provoked no little comment and criticism. Burnet's reasons for pursuing 
such a course were obvious. The members of the present Assembly were 
pledged to grant the revenue again for five years. Symptoms of the old 
tumult in the political atmosphere at once became apparent. Meanwhile 
the new members of the council were able and sagacious, and worthy the 
high place they afterwards held in the governor's esteem. 

Dr. Cadwallader Colden was the son of Bev. Alexander Colden of 
Dunse, in the Merse, Berwickshire, Scotland. He was born February 7, 
1687, 0. S. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh with a 
view of settling in the Church of Scotland, but, after completing his 
studies in 1705, he applied himself to the study of medicine. He was 
attracted finally to Philadelphia, where his mother had a widowed and 
childless sister. After practicing his profession in that city for some 
three years, he visited New York. It was in the summer of 1718. He 
only stayed three days. He received, however, the most polite and com- 
plimentary attentions from Governor Hunter. He was invited to the 
executive mansion, and a ceremonious dinner was given in his honor. 
About two weeks after he returned to Philadelphia, he received a letter 
from Hunter, inviting him to New York, and offering him the office of 
surveyor-general of the province. Henceforth his name will be identi- 
fied with our history, until we find him occupying the position of lieu- 
tenant-governor in the interesting Stamp Act period. We are indebted 
to him for much of our science, and some of our most important early 
institutions. Hence a brief outline of his career will not be amiss at 
this juncture. 

He bought some three thousand acres of land in Orange County in 
1719, which he named " Coldenham." He removed his family, a wife 



DR. GADWALLADER GOLDEN. bib 

and .six young children, there in 1728, having brought the land under cul- 
tivation, and built a fine large dwelling. This retired home gave him 
leisure for philosophical study, to which he was greatly inclined. He 
maintained a voluminous correspondence with the learned scientists of 
Europe for more than thirty years, — with Linnaeus, ( rronovius, l'eter Col- 
linson, of the Royal Society of London, l'eter Ivahu, of the Royal Acad- 
emy of Stockholm, the Earl of Alaeclestield. 1 >r Franklin, and a host of 
others. The subjects embraced botany, history, natural history, astron- 
omy, mathematics, philosophy, electricity, and medicine. His writings all 
bear evidence of indefatigable industry, of solid as well as varied acquire- 
ments, and of original conceptions. Mrs. ('olden was a lad) oi genius, 
able to instruct her children, — indeed, took almost the sole charge of their 
education, — and assisted her husband materially in his literary labors and 
correspondence. Colden was the first New-Yorker who achieved an ex- 
tensive transatlantic reputation, either as a historian, a man of scientific 
acquirements, or as a philosophic writer, or who was recognized abroad 
solely on account of his literary labors. His connection with the govern- 
ment of New York from time to time will appear in future pages. In 
1672 he purchased an estate of one hundred or more acres near Flushing, 
Long Island, where he erected a substantial country-house, and called 
the place Spring Hill. It was here that he died, in 1776. and was buried 
in a private cemetery on the property. 1 

The speaker of the Assembly at this time was the venerable Robert Liv- 
ingston. He was of great service to Burnet in the affairs of the Indians, 
which had become more complicated than ever. An active trade was go- 
ing on between the French and Indians which would soon prove disas- 
trous to New York. The French purchased English goods in New York 
and Albany, and sold them to the Indians. Aside from the profits oi this 
commerce to the French themselves, it was clear that the Indians would 
soon get under their controlling influence: and there was no predicting 
the terrible power which might be used against the province. Bui net at 
once laid plans to prevent the circuitous trade, by the encouragement of 
direct intercourse with the red men. 

Owing to his duties in the Assembly, Livingston desired to resign 
the office of Secretary of Indian Affairs in favor of his son Philip, and 
Burnet warmly seconded the arrangement by writing to the Lords oi 
Trade and speaking of the younger Livingston in high terms. The 

1 The children of Lieutenant-Governor Cadwallader Colden were as follows : 1, Alexander, 
•2. David, died in infancy ; 3, Elizabeth, married Peter, third son of Hon. Stephen De Lancey : 

4, Cadwallader; 5, Jane; 6, Alice; 7. Sarah, died young; 8, John; '.', Catherine; 10, 
David. Geneaiogi, d ^ t, by F/hvin R. Purple. 



516 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

result was a commission promptly forwarded, and the son quietly assumed 
the father's duties. 

Meanwhile Burnet actively favored a bill which had been drafted by 
Livingston and Morris, forbidding the sale of such goods to the French, 
under severe penalties, as would be merchantable to the Indians. By 
this means the French would be compelled to procure their wares from 
Boston or directly from England at advanced prices. The merchants 
strenuously opposed the measure in the House. They had been re- 
ceiving cash in hand, and good profits on their goods, and the loss of 
such a valuable trade would materially affect their purses. The bill 
passed, however, and was cordially approved by the governor and council. 
Then the merchants in great heat appealed to the Lords of Trade. But 
the Act was sustained in England, and its manifold advantages were 
unquestionable. 

Burnet purchased Hunter's country-seat in Amboy, and resided there a 
part of every year. His public duties in New Jersey were scarcely less 
onerous than in New York. But he easily overcame the slight opposi- 
tion of his first Assembly, by consenting to increase the circulating me- 
dium of the province, and they granted him an annual salary of £ 500 for 
five years. Burnet made the acquaintance in Amboy of John Watson, the 
first portrait-painter who ever took up his permanent abode in America. 
He was from Scotland, having arrived in New Jersey in 1715. He was an 
eccentric man, of irascible disposition and penurious habits. His neigh- 
bors disliked him. They stood aloof and called him a miser. He was a 
crusty bachelor. His family consisted of himself and a nephew and niece. 
He was unquestionably a man of taste and talent, and devoted to art, but 
he never courted the favor of any one. Burnet became interested in him 
and allowed him to pen miniature sketches of himself and Mrs. Burnet in 
India ink, and from the originals, recently discovered by Hon. William A. 
Whitehead, the New Jersey historian, our engravings are copied. Between 
that time and the devolution, Watson accumulated a collection of paint- 
ings, which entirely filled one of his houses in Amboy, but they disap- 
peared during the war and have never since been traced. The painter 
himself lived to an old age. He became blind, and deaf, and bedridden, 
and still lived. His nephew waited with some impatience for the " dead 
man's shoes/' " Hope deferred act null ij made his heart sick." He could 
not handle the bonds and mortgages and coin until the proper time, which 
was long in coming. Meanwhile he had an heir's affection for the old 
house, which was surely going to decay unless it had a new roof. So he 
set carpenters privately at work, and had it unroofed and reroofed while 
the owner was living in it, perfectly unconscious of the operation which was 



FIRST PORTRAIT-PAINTER IN AMERICA. 517 

in progress over his head. One morning the nephew was startled by the 
inquiry, " What is the meaning of the pecking and knocking which I hear 
every day?" The heir hesitated a moment, then replied: "Pecking? 
pecking? Oh ! ay ! 'tis the woodpeckers; they are in amazing quantities 
this year, leave the trees and attack the roofs of the houses, there is no 
driving them off." And the old man was satisfied. 

Robert Walters was the mayor of the city from 1620 to 1625. He 
was one of the wealthy men of the period, liberal and public-spirited. 
He lived in style, kept several horses, owned a large number of negro 
slaves, and his family always dressed in the latest fashion ; but they never 
entertained guests except their own immediate relatives. Mrs. Walters 
had turned her face against society ever since her father's unhappy death. 
Although more than a quarter of a century had elapsed, and every rep- 
aration had beeu made by the government which was possible, the sting 
remained, and it was with her incurable. 

About this time Hon. Abraham De Peyster retired from the office of 
treasurer of the province, which he had filled ably and to the satisfaction 
of all parties since 1706. He also resigned his office of counselor to the 
governor, much to the regret of his associates. He had, through all the 
bitter controversies attendant and consequent upon the PLevolution, main- 
tained a straightforward, conscientious course, rigidly adhering to the 
primitive principles of honesty and justice, and we find him in his advanced 
years commanding the respect and confidence of his political opponents, 
as well as the admiration and cordial regard of his more immediate friends. 
His public services were crowned with honor. His son, Abraham I)e 
Peyster, Jr., was appointed treasurer of the province in his stead, and re- 
mained in that position of trust forty-six consecutive years. 

Governor Burnet met the Indian sachems in Albany during the 

J ° 1721. 

summer of 1721, and was so affable and kind to them, ignoring 
their rude ways, and the stench of bear's-grease with which they were 
plentifully bedaubed, walking and talking (through an interpreter) and 
dining with them every day, that they became exceedingly fond of him, 
and were quite ready to bind themselves to his terms of peace. In order 
to preserve their good-humor the more effectually, he promised to found 
and encourage an English settlement in their wild country. They were 
greatly pleased, and said they had heard that he was married in New 
York ; they were glad, and wished him much joy. They also begged leave 
to present the bride with a few beavers, for pin-money, and added, signifi- 
cantly, that it was " customary for a brother upon his marriage to invite 
his brethren to be merry and dance." 

Burnet laughed heartily, while thanking them for their good wishes. 



518 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



When he had distributed the presents prepared by the crown, he ordered 
several barrels of beer to be given them, " to rejoice with and dance over." 1 
One of the sons of Colonel Peter Schuyler offered his services to lead 
the expedition into the Iroquois country, and Burnet appointed him al 
once, in order to prove that he had no personal dislike to the family, even 
if he had removed the father from office. Young Schuyler received a 
captain's commission, a handsome salary, and several substantial presents 
for his outfit. Ten young men joined him in the enterprise, and went pre- 
pared to purchase land, erect a trading-house, and start a settlement. Each 
took with him a stock of guns, and a few blankets, beads, and other 
trinkets, and a bark canoe. The object was to establish a permanent and 
direct trade with the Indians. The company were absent a year, when 
they returned, all in good health, having developed both physically and 
mentally, and laid the basis of not a few colossal fortunes. They had ac- 
complished a noble work, the fruit of which was to bless New York in all 
the future. Within a brief period over forty young men had followed 
their example by plunging boldly into the Indian country as traders, 
which served to strengthen the precarious friendship existing among 
remote tribes. 

It was in the autumn of 1721 that Jonathan Edwards, fresh from the 
study of divinity in Yale College, came 
to New York to preach the gospel to a 
small society of Presbyterians who had 
seceded from the new church in Wall 
Street. New York had an ill name in 
New England at that time, from being, 
as the Puritans expressed it, " too much 
given to Episcopacy." The " show and 
ostentation and purse-pride " which pre- 
vailed in the metropolis was supposed 
by the New Englanders to be an effect- 
ual barricade to the kingdom of heaven. 
Therefore a company of clergymen sent 
the young dominie to our shores, in 
much the same spirit that missionaries 
are now sent among the Bramins of 
Hindustan. 
He was a youth of only nineteen, 
silent and uncommunicative, but he had the air and dignity of mature 

1 Gorcriwr Bumel to Lords of Trade, October 16, 1721. New York Coll. ifSS., Vol. V. 

tWII Hid. 




First Presbyterian Chur. 



REV. JONATHAN EDWARDS. 519 

manhood. He was tall and slender, stooped slightly, his lace was pale 
and somewhat wasted but singularly refined, and he always dressed in 
homespun gray. He had not then grasped the tenets of his se< 
did at a later date with the eager, enthusiastic love which accompanies 
original conceptions, rather than with the languid assent with which an 
inherited creed is usually received. His education was not even com- 
pleted, and in a few months he returned to Yale, where as pupil ami then 
tutor he developed into one of the shining lights of Christianity. Writing 
afterwards of his brief labors in New York, he said : " If I heard tin' least 
hint of anything that happened in any part of the world that appeared in 
some respects or other to have a favorable aspect on the interests of 
Christ's kingdom, my soul eagerly catched at it ; and it would much ani- 
mate and refresh me. I used to be eager to read public news-letters, 
mainly for that end ; to see if I could not find some news favorable to the 
interests of religion in the world. I very frequently used to retire into a 
solitary place on the banks of Hudson's Eiver, at some distance from the 
city, for contemplation on divine things and secret converse with God ; 
and had many sweet hours there." 

The subsequent career of Edwards is famibar to every American, and 
his influence is felt to this day by millions who never heard his name. 
While yet a young man sermons and volumes from his pen were repub- 
lished in Europe and widely read. The picture of his removal into the 
wilderness with his wife and ten children, on a mission to the Indians, 
after he had passed middle life, has in it a touch of rebgious romance. 
Mrs. Edwards and her daughters, in order to solve the problem of daily 
food, made lace and painted fans, which they sent to Boston to be sold. 
One daughter married the accomplished Rev. Aaron Burr, the first presi- 
dent of Princeton College, and her son was the notable Aaron Burr of 
New York. Among the descendants of Rev. Jonathan Edwards are an 
army of distinguished individuals, — men of worth, talent, and high posi- 
tion ; women gifted, good, and beautiful. 

Meanwhile the Five Nations had made frequent inroads into the 
province of Virginia, contrary to the treaty long since consum- 
mated with Lord Effingham at Albany, and which bad been several 
times renewed by subsequent governors. A serious affair had occurred 
in Pennsylvania during the summer which resulted in the killing of an 
Indian from the Five Nations by one of the white settlers. Sir William 
Keith deemed it advisable to meet the sachems and come to some under- 
standing in regard to the matter. Burnet was somewhat afraid of under- 
handed negotiations with subjects of the New York government, having 
had certain experiences of that character which had proved disastrous, and 



520 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

went to see the sachems himself, expostulating with thtm for their con- 
duct. They said, if some person of distinction would come from Virginia 
to renew the covenant chain, they would keep clear of that territory in 
all their future hunting and warlike expeditions ; " which means," wrote 
Burnet to the Lords of Trade, " that a fine present would refresh their 
memories." Burnet proposed a congress of governors and commissioners 
from all the colonies to meet the Indian chiefs at Albany. The object 
was ostensibly to confirm treaties, but really to produce an impression 
upon the Indian mind that the English were going to act in unison as 
well as the French, and become stronger and more powerful than the 
latter. This august body met in September. Governor Spottswood of 
Virginia, at that time one of the most elegant and accomplished men on 
this side of the Atlantic, came in person, and with becoming deference 
submitted all his propositions to the Indians, first to Burnet and his 
counselors, for approval. Sir William Keith of Pennsylvania presided 
over the congressional deliberations. Burnet acted as an agent for Boston. 
The session occupied several days, and terminated satisfactorily to all 
parties. 

This Congress framed a memorial to the English government, asking for 
orders and funds to erect trading posts and ports through the Indian 
countries, by which to anticipate and prevent the encroachments of the 
French. Such measures, then easily executed, would have saved the 
government millions of dollars and much innocent blood. But England 
gave no heed to the appeal, and the project was reluctantly abaudoned. 

The country beyond the Great Lakes had not yet been explored. It 
was only known as the far West. In May of the following year a tribe of 

1723. Indians appeared in Albany, bringing their calumet-pipe of peace, 

Ma y- and singing and dancing, as was customary in visiting a place for 
the first time. The commissioners of Indian affairs could not under- 
stand their language, or make out from whence they came. They went 
away, but soon returned, bringing an interpreter from among the Iroquois, 
who said they were a great nation with six castles and tribes, from Mich- 
ilimackinack, and wished to make arrangements to buy wares of the Eng- 
lish. In July another tribe made their appearance, for the purpose of 
traffic, who said the French had built a fort in their country called De- 
troit ; and before September eight other different parties of strange In- 
dians had visited Albany, desiring free commerce, — thus the effect of 
Burnet's policy was becoming apparent. 

The. Lords of Trade wrote to Burnet, in June, 1724, that the 
New York Act for laying a duty of two per cent on the importa- 
tion of European goods had been repealed in England. They also 



77/ A' FRENCH PROTESTANTS. 521 

directed him to allow the passage of no more such laws " upon any 
pretense whatsoever," hoping he would find some other method for 
raising money to build a fort, the purpose for which the Act was intended. 
They were in receipt of grievous complaints from the New York mer- 
chants, relative to his interference with the French trade ; but they said, 
"While there is so great an appearance of advantage in the encourage- 
ment of the Indian traffic, you may depend upon it we shall duly con- 
sider their objections before we discourage so fair a beginning." ' 

Burnet was, like his father, of a theological turn of mind. He culti- 
vated an intimate social acquaintance with the clergymen of New York, 
inviting them to his house and table in the most informal manner, and 
visiting them in their places of study with greal frequencj 

The French Protestants just at this juncture became dissatisfied with 
then pastor, Rev. Louis Rou, a man of learning, but proud and passionate, 
and dismissed him, in favor of his colleague, who was distinguished for 
dullness and goodness. Whereupon the injured divine appealed to the 
governor and council, protesting against the Act of the Consistory as 
" irregular, unjust, illegal, and without sufficient cause." The consistory 
were summoned before a committee of the council, of which Dr. Golden 
was chairman, and ordered to show by what authority they were a court 
with power to suspend their minister. Mr. Jamison argued al some length, 
that, although the authority of the officers of the church was not by cm- 
mission, it was actually established by toleration of the government. Dr. 
Colden remarked, pointedly, that it was easy to show their power if they 
had any, and he expected it to be shown immediately. Mr. Jamison re- 
plied, that by the same power they called a minister they could suspend 
him. Dr. Colden insisted that the power should be shown. Mr. Jamison 
took refuge again under the indulgence of the government and usage. 
Dr. Colden told him he must show that usage. The interview was long 
drawn out, and resulted in a decision by the committee, that, no authority 
having been shown by the Consistory of the French Protestant Church 
for suspending their minister, they had therefore no such authority. The 
report of the transaction, signed by Dr. Colden, Rip Van Dam, Robert 
Walters, and others, contains the following paragraph : — 

"But in regard to the French Protestant church which has suffered so much 
and is at this time suffering in France on Account of their Religion, and in 
regard to the great numbers of the French Congregation that live in good repute 
and credit in this place, We are of the Opinion that the said Congregation be 
admonished, that every person in it doc all in his Power to preserve peace and 

1 Lards of Trade to Governor Burnet, June 17, 1724. New York Col. MSS., V. 707. 



522 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

unanimity in their Congregation, tor this End that they Endeavour to bring this 
present unhappy difference to an amicable conclusion. That if this desirable 
End cannot be Effected the Partys who shall think themselves aggrieved ought 
to apply to the Courts of Justice in this Redress, with that meekness and char- 
ity to each other which may Encourage the Government to continue towards 
them the generous protection under which they have been long easy, and that 
then; may be no reason now to think that they grow wanton under the abun- 
dance of Liberty and Plenty which they Enjoy here, and that the Ministers of 
the French Congregation who shall officiate next Sunday be ordered to Read 
Publickly the said Opinion and Admonition immediately after Divine Service 
in the forenoon." 

Stephen De Lancey was one of the principal benefactors of this church, 
and was very indignant at the interference of the government. He had 
been instrumental in removing the minister, and it was not agreeable to 
have that same minister reinstated in the pulpit. De Lancey was one 
of the merchants who had taken exceptions to Burnet's Indian policy, 
and had lost heavily through the obstruction of commerce with the 
French. The two provocations rendered him a bitter foe, and his impe- 
rious conduct angered the governor. The following summer De Lancey 
1735. was elected by the city of New York to the Assembly. When 

Se pt- the House came together Burnet refused to administer to him the 
oath of office on the ground that he was not a British subject. De Lancey 
proved that he was made a denizen in England some years before, and, 
besides, he had served in several former assemblies. The House decided 
in his favor, ami with considerable show of arrogance (through Adolphe 
Philipse, Speaker, who was no admirer of Burnet) claimed the right of 
judging of their own members, and pronounced the governor's course 
unconstitutional. An interesting feud arose, which, as months rolled on, 
several times assumed threatening proportions. The De Lancey party 
criticised and condemned the Court of Chancery, and disputed Burnet's 
decrees as chancellor. 

Meanwhile, a newspaper was born. William Bradford, who introduced 
the art of arts, printing, into New York in 1693, had up to this 
time been chiefly in the employ of the government. On the Kith 
of October, he issued the first newspaper in New York City, which was 
purely an individual enterprise. It was a half-sheet of foolscap paper 
filled with European news and Custom-House entries. It was called 
The New York Gazette. It was published weekly, and advertised to be 
sold by Richard Nicolls, postmaster. Before the end of the following- 
year Bradford, who was both editor and printer, received sufficient en- 
couragement to induce him to increase its size to a whole sheet of foohrup 



THE FIRST NEWSPAPER IN NEW YORK. 523 

paper, or lour pages. Brad ford was the founder of the first paper-mil] in 
this country, and was also the father of book-binding and of copperplate 
engraving. 1 Lyne's map of New York in 1728 was his work. 

The establishment of an English post at Oswego annoyed the French 
beyond measure. Thej feared the trade from the upper lakes would be 
drawn thither, and thus diverted from Montreal. Hence thej determined 
to repossess themselves of Niagara, rebuild the trading-house at that point, 
and repair their dilapidated fort. The consent of the Onondagas to this 
measure was obtained by the Baron de Longueil, who visited their coun- 
try for the purpose, through the influence of Joncaire and his Jesuit 
associates. But the. other members of the confederacy, disapproving of 
the movement, declared such permission void. The chiefs mel Burnet in 
council at Albany in 1720. They said, "We come to you howling, 
and this is the reason why we howl, that the governor of Canada comes 
upon our laud and builds thereon." The governor responded in a 
frank, pleasing, dignified manner, using the figurative expressions of the 
Indian dialect, which his brawny audience seemed to highly relish. He 
could talk, however, better than he could perform. He was involved in 
political difficulties with a factious Assembly, and his administration was 
opposed by merchants in both New York and Albany, who, by the shrewd- 
ness of his Indian policy, and the vigorous measures with which he had 
enforced it, had been interrupted in their illicit trade in Indian goods with 
Montreal. He could do very little for the protection of the Indians. Be 
at his own private expense, built a small stone fort at < Iswego, and sent a 
detachment of soldiers to garrison it. The two hundred traders already 
there were armed as militia. At the same time the French secured and 
completed their fortifications at Niagara without molestation. In De- 
cember, 1829, through representations made to the Lords of Trade, which 
were never clearly understood by those who sustained Burnet, an Ad of 
the Crown repealed the measures which had been so advantageous to New 
York, and which in effect revived the execrable roundabout trade, and 
reopened the door of intrigue between the French and the Iroquois, which 
had been so wisely closed. 

Up to the year 1726, the Reformed Dutch worshiped in the little 
Garden Street Church. But increasing numbers warned them to 
provide larger accommodations. They purchased a building-lot 
(price £575) on the corner of Nassau and Liberty Streets, and built the 
Middle Dutch Church, late New York City Post-Office. The corner- 
stone was laid in 1727. It was opened for worship in L729. It was 

1 William Bradford was c.t' noble birth, as appears from his escutcheon ; for, although for 
bidden by his art from writing himself armigi ro, he alwaj a sealed i arefully with arms. 



524 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



not finished, however, until 1731 ; and even then it had no gallery 
for some years. It was dedicated to the " Hon. Eip Van Dam, Presi- 
dent of his Majesty's Council for the Province of New York." The ceil- 
ing was one entire arch without pillars. It was a substantial stone 
building, one hundred feet long and seventy wide, with a good steeple 
and bell. This bell was cast in Amsterdam in 1731. It was by order 
of Hon. Abraham De Peyster, who died in 1728, while the church was 
in process of completion. He directed in his will that a bell should 
be procured in Holland at his expense and presented to the new church. 
Tradition says that a number of Amsterdam citizens threw silver coin 




JIB 




The Silver-Toned Bell. 

into the preparation of the bell-metal. It certainly has a silvery ring. 
It is still in existence, a trophy of antiquity, nearly a century and a half 
old, and hangs in the tower of the Reformed Dutch Church, corner of 
Fifth Avenue and 48th Street. 1 

About this time George I. died, and George II. ascended the throne 
of England. In the official changes which followed, Burnet was removed 

1 This ancient bell was secreted from the British soldiers, who occupied the Church during 
the Revolution, and when the edifice was repaired and reopened, it was restored to its original 
place in the belfry, where it remained until 1844. It was then transferred to the church in 
Ninth Street, until 1855, when it was placed on the church in Lafayette Place. The steeple 
of this latter church was taken down a few years since, and the bell was removed to the tower 
of Dr. Ludlow's church, corner of Fifth Avenue and 48th Street. See Appendix li. 



GOVERNOR JOHN MONTGOMERY. 525 

from the government of New York to that of Massachusetts and New 
Hampshire. He had hut little to take with him from New York, 
save the love of his associates and his hooks, for he had bad 
neither inclination nor opportunity to accumulate money. He regretted 
the change, as New York held many attractions for him. And he was 
deeply regretted by those who knew him best. His culture, learning, 
and conversation were the delight of men of letters, and his influence 
was healthful upon the community. Boston had heard of his scholas- 
tic attainments and elegant manners, and an agreeable reception was 
in stole for him. He was escorted with more ceremony on his over- 
land journey from New York to Boston than was ever accorded to a 
royal governor in the colonies. A committee from Boston met. him on 
the borders of Rhode Island. Among the gentlemen of this committee 
was the facetious Colonel Taylor. Burnet complained of the long graces 
which were said at the meals where they had stopped along the road, 
and inquired when they would shorten. "The graces will increase m 
length until you get to Boston ; after that they will shorten till you come 
to your government in New Hampshire, where your Excellency will find 
no grace at all," replied Taylor. A more than ordinary parade marked 
the governor's entrance into Boston. Multitudes of people on horses 
and in carriages were congregated some distance from the city, and the 
display was long spoken of as something unprecedented in the history 
of the country. He did not rule long, however, over the New England 
colonies. He died on the 7th of September, IT-!'.', from a sudden ill- 
ness caused by exposure while on a fishing excursion. 

Governor Burnet's successor in New York was Colonel John Mont- 
gomery. He was fresh from Court, having been gentleman of honor to 
George II. while Prince of Wales. He was a soldier by profession, though 
a courtier by practice. He knew something of diplomacy, hut very little 
of the world in general. He had spent an indolent, frivolous life, and was 
without sufficient character to inspire opposition. 

He arrived, April 16, 1728. The corporation and citizens gave him a 
flattering reception, and presented him a congratulatory address in a gold 
box. lie produced a favorable impression upon the Assembly through 
his unwillingness to sustain the Court of Chancery only as a matter of 
form, and he was therefore voted a five years' revenue. 

The French were threatening the little fori at Oswego, ami it became 
evident, before the summer was over, that the Indians must be once more 
mollified. A conference took place with the sachems in Albany, where 
Montgomery, as the figure-head of the government, was assisted by 
James De Lancey, (who had been appointed to the council in the place of 



526 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Mr. Barbarie, deceased), Francis Harrison, Robert Long, < teorge < llarke, the 
provincial secretary, and Philip Livingston, and also by the mayor, recorder, 
and aldermen of Albany, and other gentlemen. It occupied several days. 
The sachems and attendant Indians entered Albany on the first day of 
October, about one o'clock in the afternoon. They requested an inter- 
view with the governor before he made any proposition to them. They 
were accordingly conducted to his lodgings, and after an interesting pre- 
amble, the chief orator of the party made the following speech : — 

" Brother Corlear, — Last fell a message with a token was sent to each 
nation, acquainting us that his late Majesty, King George I., was deceased, for 
which we were very much concerned, and heartily sorry, because he was a king 
of peace, and Almighty protector of his Subjects and Allies, but at the same. 
time we received the good news that the prince, his son, now King George II., 
was crowned in his place, and hope he will follow his father's steps." 

They then gave some skins to the governor. 

"We were acquainted at the same time that King George is a young man. 
We hope he will follow his father's steps, that he may be as a large, flourishing 
tree, that the branches thereof may reach up to Heaven, that they may be seen of 
all nations and people in the world. We engraft scions on the same branches, 
which we hope will thrive, and that the leaves thereof will never fade nor fall 
off, but that the same may grow and flourish, that his Majesty's subjects and 
allies may live in peace and quiet under the shade of the name." 

They gave some more skins to the governor. 

•• We have now done what we intended to say at present." 

Montgomery replied : — 

" Brethren, — The concern you express for the loss of his late Majesty, the 
King of Great Britain, will recommend you very much to the favor of his son, 
the present king, who, as he succeeds to the throne, inherits all his virtues, and 
I hope the kind message I am to deliver to you from him to-morrow will 
comfort you for your father's death." 

He then presented them with some blankets, shrouds, and a few barrels 
of beer, with which to drink the king's health. 

The next day they all assembled in the council-chamber, and Mont- 
gomery opened the conference with considerable display of eloquence. 
He said : — 

" Brethren, — It is with great pleasure that 1 meet you here, and I am very 
sorry that I could not do it sooner. But you will be convinced that it was not 
my fault when I tell you that in crossing the great lake I met with such 
violent storms that I was driven quite off this coast, and it being in the winter 



CONFERENCE WITH THE INDIANS. 527 

season was forced to go a great way southward to refit the man-of-war in which 
1 came. So it was five mouths after 1 sailed from England before I arrived at 
New York. The business which was absolutely necessary to be done has 
detained me there ever since, and retarded the delivery of tin- kind message I 
bring you from my master, the King of (heat Britain. His Majesty has ordered 
me to tell you that he loves you as a lather does his children, and that his 
affection towards you is occasioned by his being informed that you are a brave 
and holiest people, the two qualities in the world thai most recommend either 
a nation or particular persons to him. He has been informed that you love his 
subjects, the English of New York, and desire to live with them as brethren. 
Therefore he has commanded me to renew the old covenant-chain between you 
and all his subjects in North America, and I expect you will give me sufficient 
assurances to do the like on your part." 

He paused and presented a large belt of wampum. 

"Besides the two qualities of bravery and honesty, his Majesty is convinced 
that you are a wise people, and good judges of your own interests. How happy 
you must think yourselves when the greatest and most powerful monarch in 
Christendom sends me here to confirm the ancient friendship between you and 
his subjects, and assure you of Ins fatherly care, and to tell you that hi' thinks 
himself obliged to Inve and protect you as his own children. You need fear no 
enemies while you are true to your alliance with him. 1 promise to take care 
that no one shall do you wrong, and if any of your neighbors are so bold as to 
attempt to disturb you, have no fear of anything they can do so long as tic- 
king of Great Britain is on your side, who is a prince initiated in war, and 
formed by nature for great military achievements, and who will, whenever there 
is any occasion for it, put himself at the head of the finest body of troops in the 
world. He has at present a fleet of ships in so good order and so well com- 
manded that they would be master of the great lake, though the fleets of all 
the kings of Europe were joined against them." 

One can almost hear the grunt of satisfaction with which this an- 
nouncement was received by the Indian audience. Montgomery gave 
them another belt of wampum, and then proceeded : — 

"After what I have told you I am convinced that so wise a people as you are 
will glory in behaving as becomes the faithful children of so great and powerful 
a king, who loves you." 

Another grunt all round, and another gift of a belt of wampum. 

" I expect you are now convinced that the garrison and fort at Oswego is not 
only for the convenience of the far Indians to carry on their trade with the peo- 
ple of this province, but also for your security and convenience. You can trade 



528 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

there, and on as easy terms as it' none other Indians traded there ; therefore I 
make no doubt but that you will at all times defend this garrison against all 
enemies, according to your former promises. I desire you to give and grant to 
your kind father, his most sacred Majesty, a convenient tract of land near Os- 
wego, to be so cleared and manured as to raise provisions for his men and pastur- 
age for their cattle." 

Another gift of a belt of wampum. 

" I hear that you have been afraid that the trade with the far Indians would 
make the g Is you want dear, but I can assure you that the woolen manufacto- 
ries of Great Britain are able to supply the whole world. The greater trade that 
is carried on, the greater will be the supply and the cheaper the goods. I do en- 
treat you to be kind to the traders, and not molest them as they go back and 
forth." 

Another gift of a belt of wampum. 

" I am informed that the Indians from Canada, who are. gone with the French 
army against a remote Indian tribe have been among you, endeavoring to entice 
your young men to go with them to war against a people who have never mo- 
lest I'd you. I am glad your young men refused, whereby you show that you try 
to cultivate a good understanding with those Indians, and encourage the good 
design of a trade betwixt us and them. I expect you will persist in your good 
behavior towards these and all other remote Indian nations, as it will strengthen 
your alliances and make you a great people." 

Another gift of a belt of wampum. 

" His most gracious Majesty, the King of Great Britain, your indulgent father, 
has ordered me to make you in his name a handsome present of such goods as 
are most suitable for you, which you shall receive as soon as you give me your 
answer." 

Montgomery gave them still another string of wampum, and after cer- 
tain tiresome formalities, the savages withdrew to consult with each other 
and prepare their reply. On the 4th of October, all things being ready, 
the assemblage was once more convened. The orator from the sachems 
of the Six Nations delivered his speech thus : — 

" Brother Corlear, — We are very glad you are arrived here in good 
health. You tell us that your master, the King of Great Britain, sent you. It 
is a very dangerous voyage, the coming over the great lake. We are glad you 
arrived in safety because of the good message you bring to us from your master. 
We would have been sorry if any accident had happened to your Excellency on 
this dangerous voyage You tell us you are ordered by the great king, your 



SPEECH OF THE INDIAN ORATOR. 529 

master, to renew in his name the old covenant-chain with us, and not only to 
renew the same, but to make it brighter and stronger than ever. You have 
renewed the old covenant-chain with the Six Nations in the name of you] 
master, the King of Great Britain. We, in like manner, renew the covenant- 
chain." 

He gave a belt of wampum, and continued : — 

"This silver covenant-chain wherein we are linked together, we make stronger 
and cleaner that it may be bright. We shall give no occasion for the breach of 

our covenant You acquainted us, also, that the great King, your master 

and our father, bears great kindness to us as a father does to his children, and 
if any harm come to us he will resent it as if it was done to his children on the 
other side of the great lake. For which kind message we return our most hearty 
thanks." 

He gave another belt of wampum. 

"You tell us that the reason why his Majesty, our father, so affectionately 
loves us is because we are honest and brave. It is true, what you say, that the 
Six Nations, when they are sober and nut in drink, will not molest or injure any- 
body, but the strong liquors which your people firing up into our country beget 

quarrels Our ancestors brought their own rum from Albany when they 

wanted it. We desire that you shall nut allow liquor brought to Oswego to be 
sold, but let such as want rum go to your city for it. Do not refuse our re- 
quest, Imt "rant it effectually. We have lost many men through liquor which 
ha- been brought up to our country and occasions our people killing one an- 
other." 

The tall, straight, lithe, robust chieftain talked for hours, and said much 
that was sensible and indicative of sober reflection and civilized intelli- 
gence. He said the traders should be allowed to pass and repass freely 
through their country, without interference, provided they were laden 
with such goods as powder, lead, and useful wares, but not with rum. 
He said the Six Nations would mark out a tract of land near Oswego, 
where the English might plant and sow, and pasture cattle according to 
their desire ; but after the land was once marked out, the Indians would 
not be pleased to have the English go beyond the limits. As for defend- 
ing the fort at ( Iswego if it was attacked, the orator dryly begged leave to 
acquaint the governor that the Six Nations gave permission to have the 
fort and trading-bouse established there, because they were toll it was to 
be built on purpose to defend and protect them the Six Nations . and 
they relied upon the performance of those promises. In regard to there 
being wool enough in England to supply all the world, he was very glad. 
Oswego was a convenient place for trade and where all the far Indians 



530 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

must necessarily pass. But the Six Nations thought goods ought to be 
si ild cheaper to them than to anybody else. He thanked Montgomery for 
the present which he had brought from the great king, his master, but as 
night was approaching, asked him to delay delivering it until the 
morrow. 

Montgomery responded briefly, saying that it was absolutely necessary 
to send rum to Oswego for the refreshment of the men in the garrison, 
but that he should give orders that none should be sold to the In- 
dians. He thanked the savages for the promised land, and said no one 
should go beyond the bounds fixed ; as for the fort, it was indeed built for 
the protection of £he Six Nations, but if attacked by any party whatso- 
ever, he should expect them to assist the English garrison to defend it, as 
nothing could be more natural than for them to assist in the defense of a 
place which was maintained for their security. He then desired the 
Indians to send two of their number the next morning to receive the 
presents. 

That same evening two of the principal sachems called at the govern- 
nor's lodgings and requested a private interview. They wished to make 
some explanations concerning the defense of the Oswego fort if it should 
be attacked. They were quite willing to do their part, they said, and 
desired to correct the impression made upon the governor's mind by the 
ma i ni's significant allusion to the subject. They wanted a magazine 
provided, and questioned pointedly in regard to the possibilities of an- 
other war between England and France. They were sorely troubled about 
the rum business. It was exceedingly mischievous in its effects. If 
rum must be brought to the trading-house at Oswego, they begged for 
strict orders that it should not be carried to their castles. 

The minor details of the conference occupied the three following days. 
When the Indians finally departed, Montgomery enjoined upon them the 
necessity of watching their young men on the homeward journey, lest 
they do mischief to the cattle of the country people along their route. 

This renewal of the ancient covenant-chain with the Indians was ex- 
tremely seasonable, for the next spring the French prepared to demolish the 
Oswego fort. News reached New York in time, and a reinforcement was 
sent in great haste to the help of the little garrison, which, together with 
the understanding that the Indians M'ere pledged to assist in the defense 
of the post, effectually prevented the attack, and from that time to 1754, 
it remained undisturbed, and was the source of great profit to New York. 

James De Lancey, whose name appears in connection with this confer- 
ence, was the elder son of Stephen De Lancey and Anne Van Cortlandt. 
He was a young man, only about twenty-six years of age, and a happy 






JAMES DE LAN GEY. 



531 




*»e 



Portrait of Caleb Heathcole. 



bridegroom, having recently married Anne Heatheote, the elder of the 
two daughters of Hon. Caleb Heatheote. 1 He had been educated, after 
attending the best schools New York afforded, in England, where he en- 
tered the University of Cambridge, 
as a Fellow - Commoner of Corpus 
Christi College, on the 2d of October, 
L721. The Master of Corpus was 
then Dr. Samuel Bradford, afterwards 
Bishop of Carlisle, and Rochester. 
The gentleman whom young De Lan- 
cey chose for a tutor was the learned 
Dr. Thomas Herring, who bei 
successively Bishop of Bangor, Arch- 
bishop nt' York, and Archbishop of 
Canterbury. The master and pupil 
kept up an intimacy by letter, long 
after the one became primate of all 
England, and the other chief justice 
and Lieutenant-governor of New York, 

and the richest man in America. In the various political controversies 
in which De Lancey was afterwards involved, the Archbishop's influence 
was exerted in his behalf at the court of Great Britain's sovereign. 

De Lancey commenced the practice of law immediately upon his return 
tn New York, and soon rose to eminence at the bar. He was one of the 
mos) brilliant and successful advocates of his time. His sound and cul- 
tivated judgment won him the respect and confidence of the community, 
and his influence broadened and deepened with every passing year. He 
possessed a large library collected in Europe, and was greatly devoted to 
books. The classics were to him as household words. He was ardently 
devoted to progress, and lent his careful attention to every topic of inter- 
est from law to agriculture. He had also many personal attractions and 
was a charming social companion. 2 

1 In Governor Montgomery's letter to the Lords of Trade, dated May 30, 1728, in which he 
recommends James De Lancey as a suitable appointee for the council in place of Mr. Barbarie, 
deceased, he says " He is in every way qualified for the post : his father is an eminent merchant, 
a member of the Assembly ami one of the richest men in the province." .lames De Lancey 
started in life with a fortune, and his bride inherited half of her father's large estate real and 
personal. Hon. Caleb Heatheote was mayor of the city of New York for three years, «■*> one 
of the governor's counselors, was the first mayor of the borough of Westchester, was judge of 
Westchester, was colonel of the militia all his life, was commander-in-chief of the colony's 
forces for a considerable period, and from 1715 to 1721 was receiver-general of the customs for 
all North America. His daughter Martha married Dr. Johnson of Perth Amboy. 

- Etienne (Stephen) De Lancey — the name originally "de Lanci," and in the 16th and 
17th centuries "de Lancy," was in the 18th Anglicized "He Lancey" — was born in 



532 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

The year 1729 was marked by the gift of a valuable library, consisting 
of 1,622 volumes, to the city of New York. This favor emanated 

1729. J 

directly from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in 
Foreign Parts, the books having been bequeathed to that organization 
by Eev. John Millingtou. To these were added a small collection which 
had been donated to the city in the beginning of the century, by the Kev. 
John Sharpe, and the whole was carefully arranged in a room in the 
City Hall in Wall Street, and opened to the public as the " Corporation 
Library." Mr. Sharpe was appointed librarian. It became at once a 
popular resort ; even gentlemen from Pennsylvania and Connecticut were 
permitted to borrow rare volumes, and keep them for an indefinite period. 
After Mr. Sharpe's death the books were without care, and the room 
which contained them seldom accessible. In 1754 a few public-spirited 
citizens founded the New York Society Library, and obtained permission 
from the Common Council to combine with it this old Corporation Library. 

the city of Caen, Normandy, in 1663. At the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, his 
father the Seigneur Jacques (James) de Lauc.y was dead, and his mother was too aged to 
Hy ; she was concealed, while young Stephen escaped to Rotterdam in Holland. The follow- 
ing year he came to New York by the way of London, where he was denizened a British sub- 
ject. He married, in 1 700, Anne, tie daughter ..)' Hon. Stephanus Van Cortlandt and Gertrude 
Schuyler. Their children were : 1, James, born 1703, who married Anne, daughter of Hon. 
Caleb Heatheote and Martha Smith ; 2, Peter, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Lieuten- 
ant -I iovernor Cadwallader Golden ; 3, Stephen, who died unmarried ; 4, John, who died un- 
married ; 5, Oliver, member of the governor's council, and brigadier-general ; 6, Susanna, 
who married Admiral Sir Peter Warren ; 7, Ann, who married Hon. John Watts. 

James De Lancey's children were as follows : 1, James, who married Margaret, daughter 
"1 Chief Justice William Allen of Pennsylvania ; 2, Stephen, who married Hannah Sacket ; 
:'., Heatheote, who died unmarried; 4, John Peter, who married Elizabeth Floyd; 5, Maria, 
who married William Walton ; 6, Martha, who died unmarried ; 7, Susanna, who died un- 
married; 8, Ann, who married Hon. Thomas Jones. 

John Peter De Lancey's children were as follows : 1, Thomas .lames, who married Mary J. 
Ellison ; 2, Edward Floyd, who died unmarried ; 3, William Heatheote, who married Frances, 
daughter of Peter Jay Munro, and became Bishop of Western New York ; 4, Anne Charlotte, 
who married John Loudon McAdam, the originator of macadamized roads ; 5, Susan Augusta, 
who married James Fenimore Cooper, the novelist ; 6, Maria, who died young ; 7, Elizabeth 
Caroline, who died unmarried ; S, Martha Arabella, who never married. 

Thomas James De Lancey's only child was a son, also Thomas James, who married Frances 
A. Bibby, but died without issue. 

William Heatheote De Lancey's children were as follows : 1, Edward Floyd, who married 
Josephine M. De Zeng ; 2, Margaret M., who married Dr. Thomas F. Rochester; 3, Elizabeth, 
who died young; 4, John Peter, who married Wilhemina V. Clark; 5, Peter Munro, who 
died unmarried ; 6, William Heatheote, who died in infancy ; 7, Frances, who died young; 
8, William Heatheote, who married his cousin, Elizabeth D. Hunter. 

The children of Peter De Lancey, second son of Stephen De Lancey, were : 1, Stephen, who 
married Esther Rynderts, and was recorder of Albany ; 2, John, whose only .laughter mar- 
ried Governor Joseph L. Yates; 3, James; 4, Oliver, who married Rachel Hunt; 5, War- 
ren; 6, Peter; 7, Alice, married the celebrated Ralph Izard of South Carolina; 8, Anne, 
married John Coxe of the West Indies; 9, .line, married Hon. John Watts (the younger) ; 
10, Susanna, married Colonel Thomas Barclay. 



THE CITY CHARTER. 533 

A Jewish cemetery was laid out during the summer. It was bounded by 
Chatham, < (liver, Henry, and Catharine .Streets. It was given by Mr. YYil- 
ley of London, to his three suns, who were merchants in New York, with 
the expectation that it would he used as a burial-place for the Jews forever. 
Could the eye of the good Hebrew have penetrated into the future, 
what must have been his emotion ! Warehouses of every size and descrip- 
tion have for long years covered the site of this sacred enclosure, — com- 
merce has effectually monopolized the space allotted for the sleeping dead 

The chief event during Montgomery's administration, which tended 
towards rendering his name interesting in history, was the erant- 
ing of a new charter to the city, with an increase of powers and 
privileges. It was accomplished chiefly through the exertions of De 
Lancey, and in courteous acknowledgment of the same, the corporation 
voted him the freedom of the city. This charter, henceforth known as 
Montgomery's charter, recited the charter of 178(1; and extended the 
limits of the city to four hundred feet below low-water mark on Hudson 
Eiver, from Bestaver's Eivulet southward to the fort, and from thence the 
same number of feet around the fort beyond Low-water mark, and along 
the East River as far as the north side of Corlear's Hook. It gave the 
city the sole power of estabnshing ferries about the island, with all the 
profits accruing therefrom ; it also granted or confirmed the lauds held on 
Lung Island, and all the docks, slips, market-houses, etc, upon Manhat- 
tan Island. It secured to the city the appointment of all the subordinate 
officers, and the power to hold a Court of Common Pleas every Tuesday; 
also authority to make or repeal such by-laws ami ordinances as were 
desirable, and to erect all necessary public buildings. 1 The extent of the 
city at this period is best illustrated by the map, which was made from 
an actual survey by James Lyne in 1728. 

It was not long afterward before Greenwich and Washington Streets 
were rescued from the water. Three new slips were also built, one oppo- 
site Morris Street, another opposite Exchange Place, and the third oppo- 
site Rector Street. In December of the same year a line of stages 

J . ° Dec. 6. 

was established between New York and Philadelphia, which per- 
formed the tedious journey once a fortnight. The city was divided into 
seven wards the following spring, and the first steps taken to organize a 
fire department. Hitherto the leathern fire-buckets which every family 
was obliged to possess, were the only resource in case of fire. When the 
confusion and danger consequent upon such an occurrence were over, the 
buckets were thrown into a promiscuous pile, and the town-crier shouted 
for each bucket proprietor to come and identify his own. It was the bar- 

1 Knit's Book of Charters. Hoffman. New York City Records. 



534 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

vest moment for the boys, and there was often great strife among them 
who should carry home the richest man's bucket. Finally a committee 
was appointed to procure from London, " by the first conveniency," two 
fire-engines. They soon reported a contract effected with Stephen De 
Lancey and John Moore, for the importation, by the ship Beaver, " of two 
of Mr. Newsham's new inventions, fourth and sixth sizes, with suctions, 
leathern pipes and caps, and other materials thereunto belonging." 

Men were employed the next winter to tit up a room in the City Hall 
for the reception of the two great wonders of the century. It was in 

1736, April 15, that the first effort was made to build an engine-house. 
It was located on Broad Street, adjoining the watch-house. In October, 

1737, the legislature appointed twenty-four able-bodied men from the 
city to work and play the engines upon all necessary occasions, and en- 
acted a law regulating their duties. Thus was formed the first fire-com- 
pany in the city. 

And presently a new market was established a little to the north of the 
ferry on the Hudson River, for the accommodation of New Jersey people. 
The most notable market (simply a market stand) in the city just then 
was in the middle of Broadway, opposite Liberty Street; the country 
wagons that stood there on a market morning stretched quite a distance 
in the direction of Trinity Church, and the plenty and variety they 
afforded in the way of edibles were much commented upon by foreigners. 
The old market-place near Whitehall Street was about this time divided 
into lots and sold at auction, bringing an average price of about £ 260. 
Pearl Street was extended into a common road a little to the north of 
Wall Street in 1732. It took the line of the old cow-path which led to 
the common pasture. 
1731. The year 1731 was distinguished by the settlement of the dis- 
May i4. p U t e d boundary-line between New York and Connecticut. An 
agreement was signed by the surveyors and commissioners of both colo- 
nies. A tract of land lying on the Connecticut side, consisting of above 
sixty thousand acres, and from its figure called the Oblong, was ceded to 
New York, as an equivalent for lands near the Sound surrendered to 
Connecticut. The very day after the transaction a patent to Sir Joseph 
Eyles and others, intended to convey the whole Oblong, was executed in 
London. A posterior grant, however, was issued here to Hanley and 
Company, of the greater part of the same tract, which the British pat- 
entees brought a bill in Chancery to repeal. The defendants filed an an- 
swer containing so many objections against the English patent that the 
suit was abandoned indefinitely, and the American proprietors have ever 
since held possession of the property. Francis Harrison of the council 







Jlla 

* 2 L in = 



* ^r^m 




- 

; - * '^Jiiiii ,i triii'ill 









L ! ' 



536 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

solicited this controversy for Sir Joseph Eyles and his partners, which 
contributed in a large degree to the troubles so remarkable in the suc- 
ceeding administration. 1 

The sudden death of Governor Montgomery on the 1st of July, 1731, 
cast a brief shadow over the skies. He had avoided quarrels, consequent- 
ly had made few enemies. He had had no particular scheme to pursue 
for his own or others' aggrandizement, and, drifting along in a peaceful, un- 
interrupted stream of commonplaces, was regarded as amiable, and prob- 
ably came as near inspiring affection as is possible for any good-natured 
inactive man of moderate abilities. 

The government devolved upon Eip Van Dam, the oldest member 
and president of the council, and a well-known merchant of wealth and 
high respectability. He was spoken of as "one of the people of figure." 
He took the oaths of office in the presence of James Alexander, Abraham 
Van Home, Philip Van (Jortlandt, Archibald Kennedy, and James De 
Laucey. 2 The small-pox was raging throughout the city, and the As- 
sembly, having been adjourned from one date to another, at last convened 
at " the house of Mr. Rutgers near the Bowery Road." One of the first 
subjects to which the attention of the legislators was called was the 
startling encroachments of the French at Crown Point. They had actually 
erected a fort, enclosed it with stockades, and garrisoned it with eighty 
men, at the south end of Lake Champlain. The country belonged to the 
Six Nations, and the very site of the fort was included within a patent to 
Dellius, the Dutch minister of Albany, granted under the Great Seal of 
the province in 1696. Nothing could be more evident than the danger 
ti i which New York was thus exposed. It was through Lake Champlain 
that the French and Indians made their former bloody incursions upon 
Schenectady, the Mohawk castles, and Deerfield ; and the erection of this 
fort was apparently to facilitate inroads upon the English settlers along 
the frontiers. It served as an asylum after the perpetration of inhumani- 
ties, and was a depot for provisions and ammunition. 

The Commissioners of Indian Affairs at Albany had discovered this 
palpable infraction of the treaty of Utrecht, and sent a letter to Van 
Dam by the hand of Colonel Myndert Schuyler. 3 Van Dam laid the 

1 Smith, Vol. I. 245. 

2 It seems that Lewis Morris, Jr., was suspended from the council for words dropped in a 
dispute relating to the governor's drafts upon the revenue, on the same day that James De Lan- 
cey was elevated to that honorable position. 

8 Smith, the great authority of the history of this period, is evidently in an error respecting 
the manner in which Van Dam received the first information of this encroachment. The 
letter of Governor Belcher was not received until some time after Van Dam had been notified 
by the commissioners at Albany, anil it was in answer to one written to him by Van Dam. 



RIP VAN BAM ACTING GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK. 537 

subject before the House. It was duly considered, and ways and means 
discussed to put a stop to the audacious movements at the north. It 
was very clear that the French could march on Albany in three days 
from Crown Point, in case a rupture should happen between France and 
England, which was always possible at any moment. And in the mean 
time the beaver and fur trade might be obstructed at < tewego. The fol- 
lowing resolutions were finally adopted : " 1, That the president repre- 
sent the case to the king; 2, That the Commissioners of Indian Allans 
at Albany dispose the Six Nations, particularly the Senakas, to pre- 
vent the French from obstructing the trade ; and, finally, That his Honor 
be further addressed that he will be pleased to send copies of the above- 
mentioned letters and minutes to the governors of Connecticut, Massa- 
chusetts, and Pennsylvania, inasmuch as the said attempts may affect 
them likewise." 

As acting governor of New York, Van Dam was singularly consistent 
in all his acts. He made no effort to overreach his authority, but quietly 
and resolutely maintained his views of right and justice, without apparent 
thought of himself. He was opposed to Courts of Chancery, and refused 
to take the oaths of Chancellor, notwithstanding direct instructions from 
the English government, and the damage it was likely to inflict upon the 
revenue. No other court possessed authority to compel the payment of 
quit-rents, or to adjudicate contested titles ; hence it will be seen that the 
anti-rentists were favored by this course, and it no doubt led to some of 
the serious subsequent events. Immediately alter the news of the 
death of Governor Montgomery reached England, the government of 
the province was committed to Colonel William Cosby. This latter 
gentleman had formerly governed Minorca, and exposed himself to much 
criticism during his residence on that island ; among other offensive 
things he had ordered the effects of a Catalan merchant, residing at 
Lisbon, to be seized at Port Mahon in 1718, several months before the 
war of that year was actually declared against Spain, and he was charged 
with scandalous practices to secure the booty, by denying the right of 
appeal, and secreting the papers tending to detect the iniquity of the 
sentence. These rumors reached New York long before the new governor 
himself, who remained in London, leaving Van Dam to supply his place, 
for thirteen months. During part of this time New York was in dread 
of a law before Parliament, called the Sugar Bill, which was manifestly 

Chamber of Commerce Records, by J. Austin Stevens, p. 108. "The error of Smith in his 
statement was first pointed out by Dr. O'Callaghan, in a M.S. note, communicated to the 
New York Historical Society." Letter of Van Dam to Secretary Popple, Octobei 29, 1731. 
Letter of Van Dam to Lords of Trade, November 2, 1731. New )</'. Col, Doc, V. 924- 
930. 



538 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

in favor of the West Indies, and ruinous to the Middle Colonies of 
America. Cosby used his influence to oppdse the bill, although without 
effect, the matter still remaining in abeyance at the time of his departure 
for New York. But he made it his first business, after reaching his desti- 
1733. nation, to apologize for his long delay upon the other side of the 
Aug. 1. water, on the ground of his friendship for New York, and his de- 
sire to defeat the odious bill in order to further her interests. 

Cosby met the Assembly on the 10th of August, and delivered a well- 
prepared and flattering speech, with which the members were much 

Aug. 10. l L i 

pleased. 1 A revenue to support the government for six years was 
cheerfully granted, which included a salary for the governor of £ 1,560, 
with certain emoluments (to be gained out of supplies for the forts) 
amounting to £400; the new governor's expenses (£150) in a journey 
to Albany were also to be paid by the government, and a sum was raised 
to be laid out in presents for the Iroquois. It was some time before the 
House voted any special compensation to Cosby for his services in Lon- 
don, in assisting the agents from New York in opposing the Sugar Bill. 
When it was at last done, the sum named was £ 750. 

Chief Justice Lewis Morris met Cosby the following morning on the 
street, and stopped to tell him the action of the Assembly. The small- 
ness of the gift angered the haughty colonel, who had come to New York 
to make a fortune. " Damn them ! " said he. *' Why did they not add 
shillings ami pence '. " 

Van Dam caused still fiercer emotions in the breast of the new-comer 
when a settlement of accounts was instituted. Van Dam, who had been 
in the governor's chair for thirteen months, received the salary. Cosby 
brought with him the king's order for an equal division (between himself 
and the president of the council) of the salary, emoluments, and per- 
quisites of the office since the commencement of Van Dam's administra- 
tion. Cosby proceeded to demand one half of the salary which Van Dam 
had received. The latter was willing to divide the salary, but it must 
be with division also of emoluments and perquisites, according to the 
sovereign's order. Van Dam was aware that Cosby had received, while 
yet in England, for pretended services and expenditures for Indian pres- 
ents never given, for overcharges of clothing, subsistence, etc., for troops, 
sums of money which exceeded what had been paid to himself by over 
£ 2,400. The governor refused to divide, and Van Dam not only refused 
to refund any part of the salary, but demanded the balance due him. 

The Assembly, prior to its adjournment, discussed at some length the 
subject of education. A bill for a free school, where Latin and Greek 

1 Journals of the Legislative Councils nf New York, Vol. I. pp. 614, 615. 



THE SCHOOL BILL. 



539 



and the higher mathematics should be taught, was drafted by Adolphe 
Philipse, the speaker, and offered by Stephen De Lancey. It created an 
outburst of merriment, because of this curious preamble : "Whereas the 
youth of this colony are found by manifold experience to be not inferior 
in their natural geniuses to the youth of any other country in the world, 
therefore be it enacted," etc. It passed into a law, and Mr. Alexander 
Mali urn, of Aberdeen, the author of a treatise upon book-keeping, was 
appointed teacher. The school was patronized by .lames Alexander, the 
Morris family, and many others, and became quite popular for a time. 




Lewis Morris Mans 
( Morrisania.) 



540 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

1732-1737. 

GOVERNOR COSBY. 

Governor Cosby. — Rip Van Dam. — Exciting Law-Suit. — Opinion of Chief .Jus- 
tice Morris. — The Council. — The Judges. — The Removal of Chief Justice 
Morris. — Jamf.s De Lancey appointed Chief Justice. — Courtesy to Foreign 
Visitors. — Lord Fitzroy. — A little Romance. — Marriage of Grace Cosby. — 
Taxes. — Fashions. — Morris at the Court of England. — William Bradford. — 
The new Newspaper in New York. — John Peter Zenger. —Arrest and Impris- 
onment of Zenger. — The famous Trial. — Chief Justice De Lancey. — Andrew 
Hamilton. — Definition of Libel. — Chambkrs's Address. — Hamilton's Argu- 
ments. — Acquittal of Zenger. — Exciting Scenes. — Paul Richards. — The City 
Watch. — Cortlandt Street. — The Poor-House. — Rip Van Dam. — Cosby's 
Sickness and Death. — Contest between Rip Van Dam and George Clarke. — 
George Clarke Lieutenant-Governor of New York. — Mrs. Clarke. — Lewis 
Morris Governor of New Jersey. — Social Life in New York. — The Election 
of 1737. 

/~^\ OVERNOR COSBY and President Van Dam were arrayed squarely 
\JT against each other, and neither seemed disposed to abate in the 
slightest particular from his position. The governor proceeded to insti- 
tute legal proceedings against Van Dam. As the matter was one of ac- 
count, and cognizable only in a court of equity, an action could not be 
brought in the Supreme Court, which was one of law. The governor was 
shut out from the Chancery because he was Chancellor ex officio, and of 
course could not hear his own cause. He therefore proceeded before the 
justices of the Supreme Court as Barons of the Exchequer. This court, 
as well as the Chancery, was extremely unpopular. 

As soon as the bill was filed against Van Dam, he determined to 
institute a suit at common lai against the governor. This was overruled 
in such a manner that Van Dam found himself compelled to a defense 
before the judges in equity. The occurrences were of such an exciting 
character that the whole community was interested. Van Dam was a 
popular man, and his singular situation elicited warm sympathy. 

1733. jj. g C0lmse i were 'William Smith (the father of the historian) 
and James Alexander, both eminent lawyers. They excepted to the 



EXCITING LAW-SUIT. 541 

jurisdiction of the court to which the governor resorted. Chief Justice 
Morris supported the exception. The two associate judges, James De 
Lancey (commissioned in 1731) and Adolphe Philipse, voted against the 
plea. The case was subsequently dropped without settlement, and 
Cosby never recovered any of the money. But the proceedings created 
two violent parties, and the most bitter feelings. 

Chief Justice Morris delivered an opinion in favor of Van Dam, which 
irritated < losby beyond measure, and the latter demanded a copy. Morris, 
to prevent any misrepresentation, caused it to be printed, and then sent 
it to the governor, accompanied by a letter, from which the following is 
an extract : — 

" This, sir, is a copy of the paper 1 read in court 1 have no reason to 

expect that this or anything else I can say will be at all grateful, or have any 
weight with your Excellency, after the answer I received to a message I did 
myself the honor to send to you concerning an ordinance you were about to make 
for establishing a court of equity in the Supreme ( lourt, as being, in my opinion, 
contrary to law, and which I desired might 1"' delayed till I could be heard on 
that head. I thought myself within the duty of my office in sending this 
message, and hope I do not natter myself in thinking I shall be justified in it 
by your superiors, as well as mine. The answer your Excellency was pleased 
to send me, was, that I need not give myself any troublt about that affair; that 
you would neither receive a visit or any message from me; that you could neither 
rely upon my integrity nor depend upon my judgment . that you thought me a 
person not at all fit to be trusted with any concerns relating to the king ; that ever 
since your coming to the government I had treated you, both as to your own person 
and as the king's representative, with slight, rudeness, and impertinence : that you 
did not desire to see or hear any further of or from me. 

" I am heartily sorry, sir, for your own sake, as well as that of the public, 
that the king's representative should be moved to so great a degree of warmth, as 
appears by your answer, which [ think would proceed from no other reason but 
by .uivin.n my opinion, in a court of which 1 was a .judge, upon a point of law that 
came before me, and in which I might be innocently enough mistaken (though I 
think 1 am not), forjudges are no more infallible than their superiors arc impec- 
cable. But if judges are to be intimidated so as not to dare to give any opinion 
but what is pleasing to a governor, and agreeable to las private views, the people 
of tins province, who are very much concerned both with respect to their lives 
and fortunes in the freedom and independency of those who are to judge of them, 
may possibly not think themselves so secure in either of them as the laws of his 
Majesty intend they should be. 

" I never had the honor to be above six times in your company in my life : 
one of those times was when I delivered the public seals of the province of New 
Jersey to you on your coming to that government ; another, on one of the public 



542 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

days, to drink the king's health ; a third, at your desire, to wait on my Lord 
Augustus Fitz Roy, with the lawyers, to tell him we were glad to see him in 
New York ; and, except the first time, I never was a quarter of an hour together 
in your company at any one time ; and all the words I ever spoke to you, ex- 
cept at the first time, may be contained on a quarto side of paper. I might pos- 
sibly have been impertinent, for old men are too often so ; but as to treating 
you with rudeness and disrespect, either in your public or private capacity, it is 
what I cannot accuse myself of doing or intending to do at any of the times I 
was with you. If a bow, awkwardly made, or anything of that kind, or some 
defect in the ceremonial of addressing you, has occasioned that remark, I beg it 
may be attributed to the want of a courtly and polite education, or to anything 
else, rather than the want of respect to his Majesty's representative. As to my 
integrity, I have given you no occasion to call it in question. I have been in 
this office almost twenty years. My hands were never soiled with a bribe ; 
nor am I conscious to myself, that power or poverty hath been able to induce 
me to be partial in the favor of either of them ; and as I have no reason to ex- 
pect any favor from you, so I am neither afraid nor ashamed to stand the test of 
the strictest inquiry you can make concerning my conduct. I have served the 
public faithfully and honestly according to the best of my knowledge, and I 
dare, and do, appeal to it for my justification. 

" I am, sir, your Excellency's most humble servant, 

" Lewis Morris." 1 

Cosby was highly exasperated, the more so when the opinion and the 
letter both appeared in the New York Gazette. Such an independ- 
ent course could not be tolerated in the highest judicial officer in 
the colony, and Morris was almost immediately removed from the chief- 
justiceship. 2 In August of the same year James De Lancey was 
a 1 1] minted in his stead. This appointment was made under the 
usual clause in governors' commissions which authorized them to " consti- 
tute and appoint judges"; a power which they exercised independently 
of the council, and not with its advice and consent, as in the erection of 
courts and the exercise of a few other powers. Morris henceforth be- 
came the active leader of the party in opposition to the administration, 
and De Lancey was the acknowledged chief of the governor's or court 
party. Morris, in spite of his peculiarities, was a popular man, and now, 

1 It will be seen by reference to the Resolutions of the General Assembly of New York 
in 1708 (page 476), that the doctrine had already been established that the erecting of 
courts of equity, without the consent of the legislature, was contrary 'to law. 

- Cadwallader Golden to the Earl of Hillsborough. James Alexander to Governor Hun- 
ter, February 3, 1730. New Jersey Hist. Coll., IV. 19-21. Memoir of Hon. James De 
Lancey l><«-. Hist. N. Y. , IV. 1041. Bolton's History of Westchester, II. 307; Governor 
Cosby to the Duke of Newcastle, May 3, 1733. N. V. Co!. MSS., V. 942-952. 



A LITTLE ROMANCE. 



543 



in the season of discontent, he became more than ever an object of regard 
by the class of people who esteemed themselves oppressed. In the autumn 
he was chosen to the Assembly to represent the county of Westchester, 



in the place of a de- 
he entered the city.can- 
merchant-ships in the 
number of citizens met 
cheers and flying ban- 
tertainment. it was the 
but at the aexl meeting 
sun, Lewis Morris, Jr., 
in e in be r s, 
standing the 
ous efforts 




ceased member. When 
qob were fired from the 
harbor, and a large 
and escorted him with 
ners to an elegant en- 
last day iif the session, 
of the Assembly, his 
took ins seat among i be 
n o t w i t li - 
most vigor- 
been 



made to de-O^ ^ — ~/ feat his elec- 

tion. C_-^ The social 

Mp-vr Seal and Autograph of James De Lancey. -vr i 1 i 

olJS'ew & * York had 

during all these public excitements been variously agitated. Governor 
Cosby had brought his wife and young lady daughters to this country 
with him, and they commanded no little attention. A series of brilliant 
entertainments were given during the winter and spring, which brought 
together the beauty, wit, and culture of the capital. Lord Augustus Fitz- 
roy, son of the Duke of Grafton, who was lord chamberlain to the king, 
spent some weeks in Governor Cosby's family. It was customary for the 
city authorities to extend courtesies to distinguished strangers; hence, 
upon the arrival of the young nobleman, the mayor, recorder, aldermen, 
assistants, and other officials, waited upon him in a body, with a well- 
prepared speech, thanking him for the honor of his presence, and pre- 
sented him with the freedom of the city in a gold box. 1 The following 
day the lawyers went in a body, with Chief Justice Morris at their head 
(it was just prior to his suspension from office), to show respect and wel- 
come the traveler to our shores. 

There was quite a romance connected with this visit of Lord Fitzroy. 
He was in love with one of the governor's daughters. Arninlm- to 
the standard of society in England the match was beneath him, and 
neither the governor nor Mrs. Cosby dared give consent to the marriage. 
Through the intrigues of Mrs. Cosby, however, the young people were 
allowed to settle the matter for themselves. A clergyman was clandes- 
tinely assisted to scale the rear wall of the fort, and they were married 
in secret and without license. To secure Cosby from the wrath of the 

The gold box presented to Lord Fitzroy cost £14 Ss. New York City Records. 



544 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Duke of Grafton, who was a great favorite of the king, a mock prosecu- 
tion was instituted against Dominie Campbell, who had solemnized the 
nuptials without the usual form. 

Another wedding shortly occurred in the governor's household. Miss 
Grace Cosby was married to Thomas Freeman. Three days later the 
mayor, recorder, aldermen, assistants, and other city dignitaries, marched 
in solemn procession to the governor's residence in the fort, and after 
congratulating the lovely Grace upon her good fortune, made the follow- 
ing speech : — 

" This corporation being desirous upon all occasions to demonstrate the great 
deference they have and justly entertain for his Excellency, William Cosby, 
and for his noble family, have ordered that the honorable Major Alexander 
Cosby, brother to his Excellency, and lieutenant-governor of his Majesty's gar- 
rison of Annapolis Eoyal, recently arrived, and Thomas Freeman, the governor's 
son-in-law, be presented with the. freedom of the city in gold boxes." 

The style of dress at this time was very showy and conspicuous. Gay 
pendants were worn in the ears, costly crosses were suspended about the 
neck, and diamonds and rich brocades were esteemed essential to respect- 
ability among the wealthier families. Tight-lacing and wide skirts pre- 
vailed, though not as extensively as a few years later. The hair was 
frizzled and curled and arranged in a great variety of fantastic ways. The' 
gentlemen outdid the ladies. They concealed their hair altogether by 
enormous wigs, which were supposed to greatly beautify the countenance. 
An advertisement in the New York Gazette (in 1733) throws a glimmer 
of light upon the prevailing fashion : — 

" Morrison, peruke-maker from London, dresses ladies and gentlemen's hair 
in the politest taste ; he has a choice parcel of human, horse, and goat hairs to 
dispose of." 

And another : — 

"Tyes, bobs, majors, spencers, fox-tails, and twists, together with curls or 
tates [tetes] for the ladies." 

Bright colors everywhere prevailed. The most gorgeous combina- 
tions appeared in the fabrics for a lady's wardrobe, and gentlemen 
wore coats and other garments containing all the hues of the rainbow. 
Large silver buttons adorned coats and vests, often with the initial of 
the wearer's name engraved upon each button. Occasionally an entire 
suit would be decorated with conch-shell buttons silver-mounted. Even 
coaches were painted and gilded in an extraordinary manner. A writer 
of the day, seeing the equipage of Lewis Morris rolling down "the Broad 



STYLE OF DRESS AND EQUIPAGE. 545 

Way " towards the fort, speaks of its silver mountings glittering in the 
sunshine, and of the family arms emblazoned upon it in many places. 
The crest was a spacious stone castle, with little turrets and battlements, 
the motto being Tandem vincitur, which was supposed to declare the vir- 
tue, perseverance, magnanimity, and success of the Morris family against 
oppression of whatever character. 

The newspapers were crowded with advertisements and descriptions of 
runaway slaves, and since servants proverbially ape their masters, they 
furnish a grotesque view of the costumes of that decade. 

•• Ran away, a negro servant clothed with damask breeches, black broadcloth 
vest, a broadcloth coat of copper color, lined and trimmed with black, and black 
stockings." October 3, 1731. 

" Kan away, a negro barber; wore a light wig, a gray kersey jacket lined with 
blue, a light pair of drugget breeches witli glass buttons, black roll-up stockings, 
square-toed shoes, a white vest with yellow buttons, and red linings." Octo- 
ber 28, 173-1. 

After the death of General Montgomery his effects were sold at public 
auction: the advertisements specify four negro men, and four negro 
women, "the times of two men and one woman servant," a variety of 
fashionable wrought plate, a collection of valuable books, several fine 
saddle, coach, and other horses; and particularize somewhat in making- 
mention of the household articles, as, for instance, — "A fine new yallow 
Camblet Bed, lined with silk and laced, which came from London with 
Captain Downing; also the Bedding. One fine Field Bedstead and cur- 
tains; some blue Cloth lately come from London fur Liveries ; some white 
drap Cloth, with proper trimming; and some broad gold Lace. Twelve 
Knives and twelve forks with silver handles gilded. A large lined Fire 
skreen. Two Demi Peak saddles, one with blue cloth laced with gold,' 
etc.. etc. It will thus be seen that furniture and decorations partook of 
the same tendency towards fanciful display as dress and equipage. 

As mouths rolled on, the proceedings of Cosby so irritated his 
opponents that they resolved to lay their grievances before the 
king. It was decided that Morris should himself be the messenger, as 
his private wrongs would incite him to special exertion, and his intimate 
acquaintance with all that related to the interests of the province would 
render him an intelligent adviser concerning future measures for its 
prosperity. The chief purpose in view was to obtain the removal of 
Cosby. The utmost secrecy was deemed advisable in regard to the con- 
templated movements of Moms. He asked for and obtained leave of 
absence to visit his New Jersey plantation, so wording his application that 



546 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



it might be interpreted to cover his voyage to England. He embarked at 
Sandy Hook, accompanied by his son, Robert Hunter Morris. Suspicion 
was not excited among the " court party " until he had actually sailed. 
Morris communicated his opinion of the British Ministry to James 




Portrait of Rip Van Dam. 

Alexander, in a letter written shortly after his arrival in England, of 
which the following is an extract : — 

"We talk in America of applications to Parliaments! Alas! my friend, 
parliaments are parliaments everywhere ; here, as well as with us, though more 
numerous. We admire the heavenly bodies which glitter at a distance ; but 
should we be removed into Jupiter or Saturn, perhaps we should find it com- 
posed of as dark materials as our own earth We have a Parliament and 

Ministry, some of whom, I am apt to believe, know that there are plantations 
and governors, — but not quite so well as we do ; .... and seem less concerned 

in our contests than we are at those between crows and kingbirds 

And who is there that is equal to the task of procuring redress 1 Changing the 
man is far from an adequate remedy, if the thing remains the same ; and we 
had as well keep an ill, artless governor we know, as to change him for one 
equally ill with more art that we do not know. One of my neighbors used to 
say that he always rested better in a bed abounding with fleas after they had 



MORRIS AT TUK COURT OF ENGLAND. 



547 



filled their bellies, than to change it for a new one equally full of hungry ones : 
the fleas having no business there but to eat. The inference is easy." 

Again be writes (March 31, 1735) : — 

"You have very imperfect notions of the world on this side of the water, — 




Portrait of Mrs. Van Dam. 

I mean the world with which I have to do. They are unconcerned at the 

sufferings of the people in America It is not the injustice of the thing 

[referring to Cosby's acts] that affects those concerned in recommending of him, 
provided it can be kept a secret and the people not clamor ; and when they do, 
if they meet with relief, it is not so much in pity to them, as in fear of the re- 
flection it will be upon themselves for advising the sending of such a man. the 

sole intent of which was the making of a purse Everybody here agrees 

in a contemptible opinion of Cosby, and nobody knows him better or lias a 
worse opinion of him, than the friends he relies on ; and it may be you will be 
surprised to hear that the most nefarious crime a governor can commit is not 
by some counted so bad as the crime of complaining of it, — the last is an 
arraigning of the Ministry that advised the sending of him." 

It is evident that Morris was treated with deference by the British 
Lords, but the affair was subjected to disheartening delays. The question 
of a separate governor for New Jersey was discussed; and a direct pro- 



548 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

posal was made to him, that, if he would withdraw the complaints against 
Cosby, he should receive the appointment, which he declined. 

The Assembly of 1834 passed an important bill by which the Quakers 
were restored to the rights and privileges which that denomination en- 
joyed in England, — henceforth they could vote without taking the oaths 
prescribed by law. This and several other popular acts, countenanced by 
Cosby, propitiated the people, and the clamor and complaint in a measure 
subsided. But erelong an event happened which stirred New York from 
center to circumference. John Peter Zenger started a new paper, calling 
it the Weekly Journal. It was filled with witticisms on the govern- 
ment officials, low satire, lampoons, squibs, and ballads. The public rel- 
ished it exceedingly. Now and then some well-written articles appeared, 
criticising the governor, council, assembly, the permanent revenue, and 
everything generally. Zenger had learned the printer's trade of Brad- 
ford. 1 He served at a later date as collector of sundry public taxes, and, 
through mismanagement, found himself in arrears, for which he was prose- 
cuted ; having no means to liquidate the debt, he left the city. He after- 
wards applied to the Assembly for leave to do public printing enough to 
discharge the debt, and was refused. 2 

He was a man of much persistence, and some native talent, but of very 
limited opportunities. He was encouraged, assisted, and very ably sup- 
ported in this newspaper enterprise by James Alexander, William Smith, 
Lewis Morris and his son, Rip Van Dam, and others. 

Bradford was the government printer, and the editor and publisher of 
the New York Gazette. He replied to many- of the remarkable state- 
ments which appeared in the Weekly Journal, but he was not equal to 
the adversary in sarcasm. Cosby and his counselors were driven almost 
to madness. 

Mingled with this singular controversy was a charge brought against 
Francis Harrison, one of the counselors, of having written a letter threat- 
ening Alexander and his family, unless money was deposited in a certain 
designated spot for the writer. This letter was found in the entrance-hall, 
shoved under the outer door of Alexander's residence. Harrison denied 
the imputation, and his associate counselors pronounced him incapable of 
such an act. Suspicion, however, still rested upon him, which was in- 
dustriously fomented by the new newspaper. Out of this, in part, grew 
the imprisonment and trial of Zenger. 

1 John Peter Zenger was born in Germany in 1697. He came to New York with his wid- 
owed mother, and a brother and sister in 1710, being one of the party brought over by Gover- 
nor Hunter at the expense of the Crown of England. The following year he was apprenticed 
to William Bradford for eight years. 

2 Doc. Hist. N. Y., IV. 1042. .V. V. Assembly Journal, I. 627, 636. 



JOHN PETER ZENGER. 549 

Chief Justice De Lancey, in order to procure an indictment against 
Zenger, called the attention of the grand jury in October to certain low 
ballads in the Weekly Journal, which he de ignated as "libels." He 
said: "Sometimes heavy, half-witted men get a knack of rhyming, but it 
is time to break them of it when they grow abusive, insolent, and mis- 
chievous with it." The ballads being examined were ordered to be burned 
by the common whipper. The council shortly after made an effort to dis- 
covei the author of certain other " libels." They addressed the gov- 
ernor, requesting that the printer should be prosecuted. The governor 
sent this document to the Assembly, where it was laid upon the table. 

There came a moment, finally, when affairs assumed a serious 
aspect. The council pronounced four of Peter Zenger's Weeklj 
Journals, "as containing many things tending to sedition and faction, and 
to bring his Majesty's government into contempt, and to disturb the peace 
thereof," and ordered them to be burned by the common hangman, or whip- 
per, near the pillory, on Wednesday the tJth instant, between the hours of 
eleveu and twelve in the forenoon; it was also ordered that the mayor, Rob- 
ert Lurting, and the rest of the city magistrates should attend the burning. 

When this order was offered by the sheriff, the court would not suffer it 
to be entered, and the aldermen protested against it, as an arbitrary and 
illegal injunction. Harrison was the recorder, and made a lame effort to 
justify the council by citing the example of the Lords in the Sacheverel 
case, and their proceedings against Bishop Burnet's pastoral letter, but 
it was of no avail and he withdrew. The corporation declined, emphati- 
cally, to attend the ceremony, and forbade their hangman from obeying 
the order. The burning of the papers was performed by a negro slave of 
the sheriff; the recorder and a few dependants of the governor were the 
only spectators. 

A few days subsecpiently, Zenger, in pursuance of a proclamation, was 
arrested and thrown into prison, where he was denied pen, ink, Nov. 17. 
and paper. In his paper of November 25, the editor apologizes NoT - s& 
for not issuing the last Weekly Journal, "as the governor had put him in 
jail," but adds, "that he now has the liberty of speaking through a hole 
in the door to his assistants, and shall supply his customers as hereto- 
fore." His dictations, however, were carefully watched. 

He was brought before the chief justice on a writ of habeas corpus, but 
his counsel, Smith and Alexander, objected to the legality of the warrant, 
and insisted upon his being admitted to bail. He swore that he was not 
worth £ 40, the tools of his trade and wearing apparel excepted, and could 
not give bail. Consequently he was recommitted. 1 

1 Chancellor Kent. 



550 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

The grand jury found no bill against him, therefore on the 28th of 
1735. January, Bradley, the attorney-general, filed an information for 
Jan. 28. « f a i sej scandalous, malicious, and seditious libels." 

The, trial excited the attention of all America. 

Smith and Alexander were the most eminent lawyers in the city, and 
were well prepared on this occasion. They commenced by a spirited 
attack upon the court itself, aiming at the legality of the commissions of 
Chief Justice De Lancey and Judge Philipse, which, as has before been 
stated, read, during pleasure, instead of good behavior, and had been 
granted by the governor independent of the council. 1 

Such a proceeding was esteemed a gross contempt of court, and Chief 
Justice De Lancey, addressing Smith, remarked, " You have brought it to 
that point, sir, that either we must go from the bench, or you from the 
liar." And he ordered their names struck from the roll, and thus 
they were excluded from further practice. It would be difficult 
to designate any other course which De Lancey could have taken under 
the circumstances, consistent with his own dignity and self-respect, but 
it caused almost a panic 

The court assigned John Chambers as counsel for the printer, who 
pleaded not guilty for his client, and obtained a struck jury. The 
silenced lawyers omitted no effort on their part which would tend to the 
acquittal of the prisoner. They made it appear that their own suppres- 
sion was a stratagem to deprive the defendant of help. They artfully 
exhibited the " libels " to the public by the press, and at clubs, and in 
other meetings for private conversation. It was easy to let every man 
qualified for a juror into the full merits of the defense. The services of 
the eloquent Philadelphia lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, were also secretly 
engaged. 2 

The trial came on in July and occupied the entire summer. It was an 
important feature in the early history of the press of New York, 
and as it has been variously styled, "the germ of American free- 
dom," and "the morniug star of that liberty which subsequently revolu- 
tionized America," etc., etc., it will be pardonable to go somewhat into 
details on the subject. Hamilton presented himself promptly, and was 
eagerly welcomed as the champion of liberty. He asserted that the 
matter charged was the truth, and therefore no libel, and ridiculed some 

1 Doc. Hist. N. Y., IV. 1043. Zenger's Report of the trial published in Boston three years 
afterward. 

2 Hamilton was a lawyer of great note, although the famous trial of Zenger widely in- 
creased his reputation. He was educated and in practice in England before coming to this 
country. He filled many stations of trust during his long residence in Pennsylvania with 
honor and ability. He died in 1741. 



ANDREW HAMILTON. 



551 



of the notions advanced by the judges. The words charged as " false, 
scandalous, malicious, and seditious libels" were as follows: — 

"Your appearance in print at last, gives a pleasure to many, though most 
wish you had come fairly into the open Held, and not appeared behind retrench- 
ments made of the supposed laws against libelling ; these retrenchments, gen- 
tlemen, may soon be shown to you and all men to be very weak, and to have 




fit** f** *S. t 




Portrait of Andrew Hamilton. 
(From original painting in the Pennsylvania Historical Society.) 

neither law nor reason for their foundation, so cannot long stand you in stead ; 
therefore, you had much better as yet leave them, and come to what the people 
of this city and province think are the points in question. They think, as mat- 
ters now stand, that their liberties and properties are precarious, and that slavery 
is likely to be entailed on them and their posterity, if some past things be not 
amended; and this they collect from many past proceedings. 

"One of our neighbors of New Jersey being in company, observing the stran- 
gers of New York full of complaints, endeavored to persuade them to remove 
into Jersey; to which it was replied, that would be leaping out of the frying- 
pan into the fire ; for, says he, we both are under the same governor, and your 
Assembly have shown with a witness what is to be expected from them: one 



552 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

that was then moving from New York to Pennsylvania, to which place it is 
reported several considerable men are removing, expressed much concern for the 
circumstances of New York, and seemed to think them very much owing to the 
influence that some men had in the administration ; said he was now going from 
them, and was not to be hurt by any measures they should take, but could not 
help having some concern for the welfare of his countrymen, and should be glad 
to hear that the Assembly woidd exert themselves as became them, by showing 
that they have the interest of their country more at heart than the gratification 
of any private view of any of their members, or being at all affected by the 
smiles or frowns of a governor ; both which ought equally to be despised when 
the interest of their country is at stake. ' You,' says he, ' complain of the lawyers, 
but I think the law itself is at an end. We see men's deeds destroyed, judges 
arbitrarily displaced, new courts erected without consent of the legislature, by 
which it seems to me trials by juries are taken away when a governor pleases ; 
men of known estates denied their votes, contrary to the received practice of the 
best expositor of any law. Who is there in that province that can call anything 
his own, or enjoy any liberty longer than those in the administration will con- 
descend to let them, for which reason I left it, as I believe more will.' " 

The court-room was crowded almost to suffocation ; every kind of busi- 
ness was neglected. The freedom of the press was at stake, as was also 
liberty of speech, and men looked at each other anxiously and conversed in 
undertones. Hamilton admitted the publication. Bradley, the attorney- 
general, remarked that the jury must then find a verdict for the king. 

" By no means," exclaimed Hamilton, in his clear, thrilling, silvery 
voice. " It is not the bare printing and publishing of a paper that will 
make it a libel ; the words themselves must be libelous, that is, false, 
scandalous, and seditious, or else my client is not guilty." 

Bradley said " the truth of a libel could not be taken in evidence." 

" What is a libel ? " asked Hamilton. 

Bradley gave the usual definition. He said : — 

" Whether the person defamed be a private man or a magistrate, whether 
living or dead, whether the libel be true or false, or the party against whom it 
is made be of good or evil fame, it is nevertheless a libel, and as such, must be 
dealt with according to law ; for in a settled state of government every person 
has a right to redress for all grievances done him. As to its publication the 
law lias taken such great care of men's reputations that if one maliciously repeats 
it or sings it in the presence of another, or delivers a copy of it over to defame 
or scandalize the party, he is to be punished as the publisher of a libel. It is 
likewise evident that it is an offense against the law of God, for Paid himself 
has said, ' I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest ; for it is written, 
Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.' " 



THE FAMOUS TRIAL. 553 

Bradley attempted to show how Zenger had been guilty of " a gross 
offense against God and man, by attacking with words and innuendoes 
the sacred person of royalty through its representative the governor," 
and quoted precedents to prove that, whether true or false, a libel re- 
mained the same in the eye of the law. 

Chambers, in his address to the jury, insisted that the just complaint 
of a number of men suffering under the bad administration of a govern- 
ment was no libel. He said the authorities which Bradley had cited 
were from that terrible and long-exploded court, "the Star Chamber." 
He asked if it was not surprising "to see a subject, upon his receiving a 
commission from the king to govern a colony in America, imagine 
himself at once invested with all the prerogatives belonging to his 
Majesty, and more astonishing to see a people so wild as to allow of 
and acknowledge those prerogatives even to their own destruction. Is 
it so hard a matter to distinguish between the majesty of our sovereign 
and the power of the governor of a province ? " He showed the folly of 
such ideas, and insisted that the rights of a freeholder in New York were 
as great as those of a freeholder in England. 

Bradley interrupted the barrister by declaring that the confession of 
publication, admitted the guilt of Zenger to what was charged in the 
information, as " scandalous and leading to sedition." 

Hamilton sprang to his feet, and suggested that Mr. Attorney had 
omitted the word "false " ; he thought the word must have had some 
meaning in it, and was not put in the information by chance. In his 
opinion an untruth made the libel He challenged Bradley to prove the 
facts charged to be false, in which case he would acknowledge them 
" scandalous, seditious, and a libel." To save trouble, he offered to prove 
the papers //•<"'. 

Chief Justice De Lancey objected, telling Hamilton that he could nut 
be admitted to give the truth of a libel in evidence, as the law was clear 
that a libel could not be justified. 

Hamilton proceeded to give his opinion of the word justify in its appli- 
cation to the present case. 

De Lancey then desired him to show that he could give the truth of a 
libel in evidence. 

Hamilton responded by arguing the point at considerable length. After 
referring to an authority in Coke's third Institute, he explained that by 
the judgment, the bbelous words were utterly false, and the falsehood 
was the crime, and ground of that judgment ; that falsehood makes 
scandal, and both make the libel. " And how," he asks, " shall it be 
known whether the words are libelous — that is, true or false — but by 



554 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

admitting us to prove them true ? " Hamilton made it appear monstrous 
and ridiculous to assert that truth makes a worse libel than falsehood. 

The court was of opinion that he ought not to be permitted to prove 
the " facts in the papers." The chief justice said : " It is far from being a 
justification of a libel that the contents thereof are true, or that the 
person on whom it is made had a bad reputation, since the greater ap- 
pearanee there is of truth in any malicious invective, so much the more 
provoking it is." 

Hamilton's address to the jury was full of sarcasm. He said : " You 
are the best judges of the law and the fact, and are to take upon your- 
selves to say whether the papers axe false, scandalous, and seditious." He 
was interrupted several times by the court, and there was some brilliant 
sparring. 

He went on to declare that juries had a right to determine both the law 
and the fact, and ought to do so. In his opinion, leaving to the court to 
say whether the words are libelous or not rendered the jury useless, and 
worse. He declared that if a ruler brings personal failings and vices into 
his administration, and the people are affected by them either in their lib- 
erties or properties, all the arguments in favor of dignitaries and power 
will not stop their mouths in a free government, if they feel oppressed. 
Said he : — 

" Years ago it was a crime to speak the truth, and in that terrible court of 
Star Chamber many brave men suffered for so doing; and yet, even in that 
court and in those times a great ami good man durst say what I hope will not 
be taken amiss of me to say in this place, to wit : ' The practice of informations 
for libels is a sword in the hands of a wicked king, and an arrant coward, to cut 
down and destroy the innocent ; the one cannot because of his high station, and 
the other dares not because of his want of courage, revenge himself in any other 
manner.' .... Our Constitution gives us an opportunity to prevent wrong, by 

appealing to the people But of what use is this mighty privilege if every 

man that suffers must be silent ; and if a man must be taken up as a liheler 
for telling his sufferings to his neighbor 1 I know it may be answered, ' Have 
you not a House of Representatives to whom you may complain 1 ' And to this 
I answer, ' We have ' ; but what then 1 Is an assembly to be troubled with 
every injury done by a governor 1 Or are they to hear of nothing but what 
those in the administration will please to tell them 'l Or what sort of a trial 
must a man have 1 And how is he to be remedied, especially if the case were, 
as I have known it to happen in America in my time, that a governor who has 
places (I will not say pensions, for I believe they seldom give that to another 
which they can take to themselves) to bestow, and can or will keep the same as- 
sembly (after he has modeled them so as to get a majority of the house in his 
interest) for near twice seven years together] I pray what redress is to be ex- 



HAMILTON'S ARGUMENTS. 55;") 

pected for an honest man, who makes his complaint against a governor to an as- 
sembly who may properly enough be said to be made by the same governor 
against whom the complaint is made! .... A man that is neither good nor 
wise before his being made a governor never mem Is upon his preferment, buf 
generally grows worse ; and we all understand why gentlemen take so much 
pains an«l make such great interest to be appointed governors, nor is the de ign 

of their appointment less manifest Prosecutions for libels since the 

time of that arbitrary court, the .Star ( lhamber, have generally been set on foot at 
the instance of tin/ crown or his ministers, and countenanced by judge,- who 
hold their places at pleasure If a libel is understood in the large and un- 
limited sense urged by Mr. Attorney, there is scarce a writing 1 know that may 
not be called a libel, or scarcely auy person safe from being called to account as 
a libeler. Moses, meek as he was, libeled Cain ; and who has not libeled the 
Devil ! for, according to Mr. Attorney, it is no justification to say that one has a 

bad name How must a man speak or write, or what must he hear, read, 

or sing, or when must he laugh, so as to be secure from being taken up as a 
libeler? I sincerely believe that were some persons to go through the streets 
of New York nowadays, and read a part of the Bible, it' it were not known to 
he such, Mr. Attorney, with the help of his innuendoes, would easily turn it to 
be a libel ; as, for instance, the sixteenth verse of the ninth chapter of Isaiah: 
'The leaders of the people (innumdo, the governor and council of New York) 
cause them {innuendo, the people of this province) to err, and they (meaning the 
people of this province) are destroyed (innuendo, are deceived into the loss of 
their liberty, which is the worst kind of destruction). Or, if some person should 
publicly repeat, in a manner not pleasing to his betters, the tenth and eleventh 
verses of the fifty-fifth chapter of the same book, then Mr. Attorney would have 
a large field to display his skill in the artful application of his innuendoes. The 
words are : ' His watchmen are all blind, they are ignorant ; yea, they are gri - <1\ 
dogs, that can never have enough.' To make them a libel, arrange thus : ' His 
watchmen (innuendo, the governor, council, and assembly) are all blind ; they are 
ignorant (innuendo, will not see the dangerous designs of his Excellency); yea, 
they (meaning the governor and council) are greedy dogs which can never have 
enough (innuendo, of riches and power)." 

These humorous illustrations were followed by many others, all strictly 
analogous to the charges against his client. He dwelt at great length on 
many topics which we have not cited. He closed by saying : — 

"I am truly very unequal to such an undertaking on many accounts; and 
you see I labor under the weight of years, and am borne down with great in- 
firmities of body; yet. old and weak as I am, I should think it my duty, if 
required, to go to the utmost part of the land, wdrere my service could he of use 
in assisting to quench the flame of prosecutions upon informations set on foot by 
the government, to deprive a people of the right of remonstrating (and com- 



556 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

plaining too) of the arbitrary attempts of men in power. Men who injure and 
oppress the people under their administration provoke them to cry out and 
complain, and then make that very complaint the foundation for new oppres- 
sions and prosecutions. I wish I could say there were no instances of this kind. 
But to conclude : the question before the court, and you, gentlemen of the jury, 
is not of small nor private concern ; it is not the cause of a poor printer, nor of 
New York alone, which you are now trying. No ! It may in its consequences 
affect every freeman that lives under a British government on the main of 
America ! It is the best cause, it is the cause of liberty, and I make no doubt 
but your upright conduct this day will not only entitle you to the love and 
esteem of your fellow-citizens, but every man who prefers freedom to a life of 
slavery will bless and honor you, as men who have baffled the attempt of 
tyranny, and by an impartial and uncormpt verdict have laid a noble founda- 
tion for securing to ourselves, our posterity, and our neighbors, that to which 
nature and the laws of our country have given us a right, — the liberty both of 
exposing and opposing arbitrary power (in these parts of the world, at least) 
by speaking and writing truth." 

It was in vain that Chief Justice De Lancey charged the jury that they 
were judges of the tact, but not of the law, and that the truth of the libel 
was a question beyond their jurisdiction. They returned a verdict, after 
only a few minutes' deliberation, of " Not Guilty." The court-room was 
at once the scene of a noisy uproar. The ignorant audience held the 
court in contempt, because of the gifted irony of the bar, and supposed 
that the action of the judges was but another illustration of the tyranny 
and oppression of the times. The shouts which shook the building until 
it seemed as if all its component rjarts would be divorced from each other, 
startled and angered the judges, and one of them indiscreetly threatened 
the leader of the tumult with imprisonment, if he could be discovered. 
Captain Nbrris, a son of the knighted admiral of that name, and connected 
with Ex-Chief-Justice Morris by the marriage of his daughter, pertly re- 
sponded, that huzzas were common in Westminster Hall, and were some- 
what loud at the time of the accpiittal of the seven bishops. The shouts 
were repeated and repeated, and Hamilton, as the champion of the rights 
of the oppressed, was the lion of the hour. He was conducted from the 
court-room, with some difficulty resisting a ride upon the shoulders of the 
crowd, to an elegant entertainment. 

The next day the corporation of the city tendered him a public dinner, 
at which there was a superabundance of fine wines and finer brandies. 
The mayor, in a complimentary address, presented him with the freedom 
of the city in a magnificent gold box purchased by private subscription. 
A grand ball was given in his honor the same evening, which was at- 
tended by the families of all such as opposed the existing administration, 



EXCITING SCENES. 557 

and by many others, who, when the enthusiasm subsided, dropped back 
into the conservative channel. The whole city complimented him upon 
his departure. He was escorted with ostentatious ceremony to the barge 
which was to convey him to Philadelphia, and received a. parting salute 
of cannon, amid the huzzas of the multitudes and the waving of banners. 
The scribblers of the day took courage, and grew more aggravating than 
ever. Squibs, ballads, and serious charges against high officials filled the 
public prints. The acquittal of Zenger was esteemed the great triumph of 
the age. It was not Zenger alone, however, who had been on trial. The 
quick-witted, restless, and malignant politicians who had sustained him, were 
jubilant over results through which they had been more nearly affected 
than even Zenger himself. There was opportunity now for retaliation. 
Alexander and Smith entered a complaint, as soon as the Assembly met 
in the autumn, against the judges for depriving them of their practice. 
They were heard by the committee of grievances on the 23d of Oc- 
tober; and a copy of the complaint was ordered to be served on 
the judges, and an answer required within forty days. 

Prior to 1743 the statute provided no limit to the length of office of 
the members of the Assembly. The governor might at any time dissolve 
them and order a new election, according to his pleasure. In Governor 
Hunter's time the Legislature chosen in 171 G remained in office until 
L725. After that an election took place annually until 1728, when the 
Assembly had another protracted existence of nine years, until 1737. 
A bill passed the House in 1734, that no Assembly should continue more 
than three years. The council did not act upon it, and it was lost. The 
subject was repeatedly agitated. In November of the same year the 
House petitioned the governor for a dissolution. He gave them to under- 
stand that he should do it when he pleased. And he did not then please. 
In the midst of these special agitations, in 1735, a petition, very largely 
signed by the citizens, was presented to the governor, suggesting that the 
long session was a grievance, and asking that it might be dissolved, which 
was again refused, notwithstanding the members unanimously asked his 
consent. The House at once resolved " that, the Court of Chancery, under 
the exercise of a governor, without consent of the General Assembly, is 
contrary to law, unwarrantable, and of dangerous consequences to the 
liberties and properties of the people." Presently a petition came from 
Queen's County, to the effect that the long continuance of the Assembly 
occasioned a decay of trade and depreciation of lands. This incensed some 
of the members, and alter a spirited debate the House voted that the 
charge was an "unjust and audacious misrepresentation." Shortly alter, the 
lawyers who had been silenced in their profession, insinuated with stinging 



558 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

emphasis, that the distant day assigned for the answer of the judges to 
their complaints was an attempt to evade justice. 

Cosby wrote to the Lords of Trade, complaining of Alexander as being 
at the head of a scheme to give all imaginable uneasiness to the govern- 
ment, and asked for the removal of both Alexander and Van Dam from 
the council. He said that private meetings were being held several 
nights in a week, and that scurrilous and abusive pamphlets, published 
against the Ministry and persons of honor and quality in England, were 
being reprinted in New York, with such alterations as served to enrage 
the people against the governor, council, Assembly, and magistrates gen- 
erally. 

Cosby himself seems to have done very little to rescue his memory 
from universal detestation. He destroyed, about this time, certain deeds 
belonging to the city of Albany, which occasioned almost a panic. The 
Mohawks had conveyed a valuable part of their territory to the corpora- 
tion of that city, to take effect upon the total dissolution of their tribe. 
These documents were shown to Cosby to convince him of the injustice 
of granting the same property to private patentees. He had requested 
the perusal of them, and after reading threw them into the fire be lore 
which he was seated, and they were instantly consumed. He intended 
to enrich himself with fees for new grants, as well as by the acquisition 
of improved lands. From the same motive originated a project to re- 
survey all the old patents on Long Island. The inhabitants were almost 
universally alarmed. Long Island comprehended at that time nearly a 
third part of the improved lauds of the colony. No land-owner knew 
whether his best improved possessions might not fall beyond the new 
lines assigned for his tract. Every intelligent man understood that the 
old grants and patents were penned inaccurately, and with all the negli- 
gence of liberality, and that in some instances proprietors had taken ad- 
vantage of the description of their limits by marked trees and other un- 
certain boundaries, to extend their possessions too far. But a re-survey 
could only be attended with difficulty and danger. The adventurous 
planter had been obliged, after acquiring his title from the crown, to buy 
peace from the savages as often as they were pleased to renew their 
claims, before he could cultivate the soil in safety. The prospect of sec- 
ond patents promised mischief, animosities, and lawsuits. De Lancey 
was astonished, for he comprehended the embarrassments which must 
ensue. In reply to his expostulations, Cosby remarked, petulantly, 
" What do you suppose I care for the grumbling rustics ? " 

From this troublous epoch arose two great parties, differing materially 
from those which had shaken New York in the years gone before, and 



FIRST CITY POOR-HOUSE. 



559 



which ever afterwards divided the people of the province. Both pro- 
fessed the utmost loyalty to the British Constitution, and claimed and 
upheld the rights of Englishmen. But one was conservative and tin- 
other radical. As in England, the religious element entered largely into 
politics. The Episcopalians and many of the Dutch were conservative, 
while the remainder of the Dutch, and the Presbyterians, almost to a 
man, might have been found among the radicals. There were wit, taste. 
subtlety in drawing distinctions, and stubborn resolution on both sides, 
and each contending party had always some advantage over the other. 

Meanwhile the city progressed slowly. Paul Richard was the newly 
elected mayor, and was soon after recommended by Cosby to the Lords 
of Trade as a fit man to appoint to the council. Cortlandt Street was 
laid out during the summer, and Beekman Swamp sold for £ 100. The 
city watch was increased to ten, and two constables appointed. On the 
luth of July, Governor Cosby, with imposing ceremonies, laid the corner- 
stone of a new Battery on Whitehall Bocks. A terrible accident occurred 
on this occasion through the bursting of an old cannon. Three persons 
were instantly killed, one of whom was the daughter of Colour! Van 
Cortlandt; the others were John Syms, the high sheriff, and a son-in-law 
of Alderman Reimer. 

A poor-house, which 
was also a house of cor- 
rection and a sort of cala- 
boose for unruly slaves, 
was erected in 1734 on 
the Commons— City Hall 
Park — alongside of the 
-allows; the latter retired 
shortly afterward into the 
valley near Fresh Water 
Pond. This building was 
46 feet long, 24 wide, and 
two stories high. Some 
of the quaint regulations First Cit » Po 

of this institution are flashed upon our notice, through the following ex- 
tract from the minutes of the Common Council, March, 1736 : — 

"As provision is made for the poor, the committee recommend that all beg- 
gars on the streets be put to hard labor; that parish children be religiously 
educated, taught to read and write, and cast accounts, and employed in spinning, 
knitting, and sewing, to qualify them for being put out apprentices ; that fet- 
ters, gyves, shackles, and a convenient place, or whipping-post, be provided for 




560 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the incorrigible; that a garden be fenced in for raising roots and herbs for the 
poor ; that the inhabitants of the city have free license to send to the said 
house all servants and slaves, there to be kept to hard labor, and punished ac- 
cording to the directions of any one justice, with the consent of the master or 
mistress ; that the master or mistress pay 1 s. entrance, and Is. 6 d. for whip- 
ping, and for discharge 1 s., and 7 d. per day during confinement." 

New York was pronounced at that time one of the most social places 
on the continent. The gentlemen collected themselves into weekly even- 
ing clubs, and both gentlemen and ladies were often entertained with 
concerts, assemblies, etc., as well as private parties. An elegant ball was 
given at the "Black Horse," on the evening of January 19, 1736, to cele- 
brate the birthday of the Prince of Wales. The dress and appearance 
of the guests was reported by the press as magnificent. The fete, was 
opened with French dances. Mrs. Captain Norris introduced a new 
country dance which captivated the whole company. At the conclusion 
dt a sumptuous banquet, the "Hon. Eip Van Dam, President of his 
Majesty's council, began the royal healths, which were all drank with 
bumpers." On the morning of the same day, the members of the council, 
and the principal merchants and gentlemen of the city, had assembled at 
the fort, and " drank the royal healths " ; but, owing to the illness of Gov- 
ernor Cosby, other customary public demonstrations on such an occasion 
were omitted. 

It is curious how the feud between Cosby and Van Dam smouldered, 
and widened in its proportions as months rolled on. The latter, although 
president of the council, rarely attended its meetings. He wrote repeat- 
edly to the Lords of Trade, endeavoring to impress upon their minds the 
condition and wants of New York, and the total unfitness of their gov- 
ernor for his responsible position. Cosby was in constant correspondence 
with the same parties, and used the most extravagant language in accus- 
ing and abusing Van Dam. 1 Dr. Colden resided out of town, and only 
made his appearance occasionally. But he so far sustained Van Dam in 
the position he maintained, that Cosby declared him unworthy of confi- 
dence. In one of Cosby's letters to the Duke of Newcastle, he said that 
Colden was closely linked with the opposers of the government, and acted 
as their spy upon the transactions of the council. 

Cosby's illness continued all winter. At times he was able to attend 
to business ; but he, as well as his physicians, was apprehensive of serious 

1 Articles of Complaint against Goocrnor Cosby by J!i/> Van Dam, Esq. New York Col. 
MSS., V. 975-978. Governor Cosby to the Duke of Newcastle, December 17, 1733. Gov- 
ernor Cosby to the Lords of Trade, December 7, 1734, and Same to Same, June 10, 1735. 
Col. MSS., VI. 24-26, 31, 37, 3S. 



DEATH OF GOVERNOR COSBY. 561 

results. When it first dawned upon his mind that his life was in actual 
danger, he summoned a few of the counselors to his bedchamber, and 
secretly suspended Van Dam, in order to prevent the hitter's assumption 
of the government as president of the council, in case of his death. He 
lingered until the 10th of March. When he died there was an i 736 . 
outward show of sorrow and much inward joy. The people \vho Mml 'io 
were smarting under the expectation of having their land-patents invali- 
dated, thanked God fervently for having rid them of a monstrous tyrant. 
The political party, not in power, exulted over the prospect of Van Dam's 
speedy occupancy of the chair of state. They had long since despaired of 
any relief through the exertions of Lewis Morris in England; now their 
hour of triumph had come. 

But early the next morning, even before the news of the governor's 
death had been put in general circulation, the council met and proceeded 
to administer the oaths of office to George Clarke, who was next to Van 
Dam in the order of age. There were present at this meeting, besides 
Clarke, James Alexander, Abraham Van Home, James De Lancey, Archi- 
bald Kennedy, Philip Van Cortlandt, Henry Lane, and Daniel Horse- 
manden. The suspension of Van Dam was necessarily made public. 
Alexander declined to give his opinion concerning the singular aud cow- 
ardly act (if the late governor, but the other gentlemen were united in 
their belief that the administration of the government under the circum- 
stances devolved upon Clarke, who at once issued a proclamation announ- 
cing the governor's death, and continuing all officers in their places. 

In the afternoon, Van Darn called upon Mrs. Cosby to obtain the greal 
seal of the province, also the commissions and instructions from the king. 
He was denied access. He then demanded them in writing of Clarke, 
to whom he found they had been delivered. Clarke refused to surrender 
them, and quoted the act of suspension by which Van Dam's claim was 
annulled. Van Dam indignantly assailed the validity of such an act at 
such a time. He declared that Cosby was delirious and irresponsible at 
the moment of the suspension ; and that if he had been in the full pos- 
session of his faculties, his power was only sufficient to exclude him from 
acting as counselor, and could not interfere with his succession to the 
command. The simple authority of the governor was extinguished by 
his death, and thus, he said, the council could not legally quality Clarke. 

The sympathy of the community was chiefly with Van Dam. He was 
a man of sterling sense as well as strong character, and his reputation for 
honesty was unimpeachable. He inspired confidence. The people knew 
aim and believed in him. They felt that he had been grievously wronged. 
They were disposed to support his claims at any cost. Men gathered 



502 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

in knots on the streets and talked in loud tones. An insurrection at 
one time seemed imminent. 

Clarke adjourned the Assembly, and Van Dam issued a printed protest 
denying Clarke's authority in the matter, and insisting that the body was 
virtually dissolved, therefore could no longer legally sit or act. The 
members met on the day to which it had been adjourned, but before the 
speaker had taken the chair, they were each served with a copy of Van 
Dam's protest, enclosed in a printed letter, which warned them against 
the consequences of attempting the transaction of business. Lewis Mor- 
ris, Jr., stepped forward and spoke for half an hour to the same effect, 
and then produced a " Declaration," denouncing the action of Clarke and 
the council, which he appealed to the members to sign. The majority 
of those present were disinclined, and he, with a few others, left the 
chamber in high temper. The remainder were considerably bewildered 
by the turn events were taking, and quite unwilling to involve them- 
selves in litigation ; they returned to their homes, and the House con- 
tinued under repeated adjournments until the late autumn. 

The unrest in the atmosphere caused serious fears. There were covert 
threats of open violence among the common people. Clarke was attacked 
by writers in the Weekly Journal, Zenger's paper, and boldly menaced 
with a prosecution. The public memory was constantly refreshed through 
the same source with distorted accounts of " high crimes " in high places, 
and Bradford, in the New York Gazette, retorted in similar absurd exagger- 
ations. Clarke earnestly implored the Lords of Trade to protect him by 
removing Van Dam from office, thereby admitting his own doubts of the 
validity of the governor's secret suspension, unless the act was sustained 
and reacted upon by the crown. " He will sue me," continued Clarke, "for 
the profits of the government, if you do not silence him, and I shall be 
undone." * 

As a specimen of the " freedom of the press," so recently guaranteed by 
the acquittal of Zenger, the following extract from the columns of the 
Weekly Journal is given : — 

" Whatever desire some of the subjects of the British Dominions may have to 
be above the law, and tread it under foot, yet the law will, in the long run, get 
above them. It is too strong to contend with, and he who does contend with it 
will hardly escape a fall. Of this the Hon. Francis Harrison, counselor, is a recent 
example. 2 All the power he had to support him could not prevent a fall. If 

1 President Clarke to the Duke of Newcastle, March 16, 1736. 

2 " Harrison went privately to England in 1735. It was imagined that Cosby sent him 
to watch and oppose the movements of Colonel Lewis Morris, and that the governor's death 
plunged him into poverty, and prevented his return. He did not long survive that event. " 
Smith's New York, Vol. II. p. 29. 



CONTEST BETWEEN VAX DAM AND CLARKE. 503 

Mr. Clarke be not entitled to the administration, I believe a grand jury of New 
York will think him guilty of high treason for usurping, and indict him accord- 
ingly. 1 do not believe that they will think his superiority or their subordina- 
tion will excuse them for not doing it. Their oath is to present all offenders. 
I hitherto have not heard of any exception in it, either of counselors or com- 
mander-in-chief They are as subject to law as the meanest man in New York, 
let their desire be ever so strong to be above it ; ami if the grand jury indicts, I 
doubt not the court will issue the process thereof to apprehend him and try him 
by twelve lawful men of New York, where the fact was committed. If lie is 
taken, I doubt not but that he will have the liberty of pleading his superiority, 
and the subordination of the court and jury against their jurisdiction. 1 doubt 
not but that the plea will be fully heard as it ought to be, and that his lawyers 
may speak freely in support of it, notwithstanding all the part he had in making 
of such precedents : and if his lawyers can make it out, thai he i- above and out 
of i he reach of the law, the. court ought to allow the plea ; hut it' they can't, as I 
believe they cannot, lie must there hold up his hand, as well as tin- meanest and 
most arch pickpocket that ever was in New York, and either confess and he 
hanged, or say not guilty, and put himself for his trial on God and his country; 
and if such be the case, I hopejustict he may depend upon. But what charity 
twehe good men of New York, sworn to try him, will have for him, he, by run- 
ning over his past services to the properties, liberties, and privileges of this coun- 
try, may in some measure, he able to judge. But, however, as a Christian, I 
shall be obliged, in that ease, to join in the clerk's prayer, and say, God send you 
a (/ood deliverance" 

Odious nicknames were given to the counselors. They were often in- 
sulted in the streets. Alexander, at his quiet country-seat in New Jersey, 
refused to attend the meetings i if the council. Thus the summer passed 
away. 

Meanwhile Lewis Morris returned from England, reaching Morrisania 
by the way of Boston on the 7th of October. His purposes hail been well- 
nigh defeated several times, but, nothing daunted, he had with charac- 
teristic spirit and pertinacity stood his ground until his triumph was 
complete. Peter Collinson wrote to Alexander, saying, the I hike of 
Newcastle (to whom Cosby was indebted fur his appointment) was 
strong in the governor's interest, and also Lord Halifax, a relation of the 
governor; but the governor's spleen, pique, and prejudice were so noto- 
riously seen through the whole charge against Morris, that there was no 
supporting it" Notwithstanding the strongest efforts to the contrary by 
the friends of Cosby, the committee of Lords who had given the affair a 
final hearing on the 7th of November, 1735, pronounced the governor's 
reasons for removing Morris from the chief-justiceship, insufficient. Fer- 
dinand John Paris wrote to Alexander, on the 21st of the same month, " 1 
am inclined to think his Excellency shakes." 



564 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

The advantage gave Morris increased consideration among the lords. 
It was henceforth advisable to approach him with caution. The slum- 
bering question of a separate governor for New Jersey, was revived, but 
not acted upon, until February, 1738, at which time he received the 
appointment, and shortly after entered upon his duties. He sailed for 
America, however, as soon as he heard of the death of Cosby. 

News reached New York in the evening that Colonel Morris was at 
his mansion in Morrisania, The next morning he was waited upon by 
some of the leaders of the popular party, and conducted to the 
city to attend a public meeting preparatory to the approaching 
appointment of city officials. He was met by crowds of people, who in- 
dulged in the most enthusiastic cheers of welcome. When he learned to 
what extremes the controversy had advanced, he expressed his opinion 
gravely and with resolute firmness ; Van Dam had a right to the admin- 
istration, and he was willing to execute the office of chief justice under 
him. As for the Assembly, he pronounced it dissolved, and said that 
force ought to be opposed to force, if Clarke continued to claim authority. 
" Be sure of one thing," he remarked with emphasis ; " if you don't hang 
them they will hang yoit." 

The pivot upon which matters seemed likely to turn was the action 
of the corporation of the city. In the election of aldermen the Van Dam 
party had prevailed. Among those elected were John Aspinwall, Jaco- 
bus Rosevelt, Stephen Bayard, Gerardus Beekman, John Pintard, and 
Gerardus Stuyvesant. The 29th of September was the day provided by 
the charter, on which the commander-in-chief of the province should 
nominate the mayor, recorder, sheriff, coroner, etc., for the ensuing year, 
and the 14th of October was the day for them to be sworn into office. 
Clarke and Van Dam each summoned a meeting of the executive council, 
and each made out their list of appointees. 1 The Common Council met 
in great tribulation, and sent the mayor, with one or two attendants, to 
both Clarke and Van Dam, to beg that all appointments might be re- 
voked while there was so much uncertainty about who was entitled to 
supreme authority, as it would endanger the charter to accept new city 

1 Van Dam caused the following paper to tie served upon Clarke : — 

"New York, September 2'.'. 1736 
"His Majesty's council of the province being duly summoned to attend me in council, 
as commander-in-chief of the province, and James Alexander appearing, and the rest 
neglecting to appear according to the said summons, so that a quorum could not he made to 
give me their advice concerning the appointment of the following magistrates of this city, I 
have, in their default, appointed Cornelius Home mayor, William Smith recorder, Richard 
Ashfield sheriff, and Richard Nicolls coroner, for the ensuing year. 

Rip Van Dam." 



CLARKE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL. 565 

officers. During the election of the aldermen in the different wards, 
a paper had been circulated for signatures, declaring that Van Dam had 
a right to the administration. The Weekly Journal was filled with 
inflammable articles tending to persuade the people that every man had 
a right td judge to whom the administration of the government belonged, 
with significant hints that if a governor misbehave they were at Liberty 
to depose him. The meeting on the 8th of October, was of such a 
character that Clarke, knowing the majority of the corporation were of 
the popidar party, retired from his elegant city residence into the fort, 
and prepared for defense in case of a resort to arms, which was confi- 
dently expected. 

The magistrates chosen by Van Dam had actually resolved to meet the 
issue. Private conferences had been held; Alexander, Smith, and Morris 
had each given legal advice; and steps had been taken to overpower the 
soldiers on duty if they interfered. Twenty-four hours more, and New 
York would be plunged in civil war. 

Just at this crisis the brigantine Endeavor arrived from England, bring- 
ing despatches from the government to Clarke, which clearly established 
his authority as president of the council, and commander-in-chief of the 
province. The city officers whom he had appointed were duly 
sworn, and the machinery of municipal affairs remained intact. 

Clarke summoned the Assembly on the same day, ami delivered a 
speech which was remarkable for the temperate manner in which lie re- 
ferred to the late unhappy divisions in the colony. He invited attention 
to ship-building, which had become very lucrative in some of the neigh- 
boring colonies, and sadly neglected in this; also to the expediency of 
encouraging domestic manufactures in various departments of industry. 

For lour years, little or no attention had been given to Indian affairs. 
The incessant quarrels of Cosby with the people and their representa- 
tives had left him apparently no time to bestow upon the frontiers. The 
Six Nations, in the absence of other employment, had resumed hostilities 
against their enemies at the south. One of their expeditions, directed 
against the Chickasaws, was shockingly disastrous; they fell into an 
ambuscade, and fought until all but two of a strong band of warriors were 
slain. One only of these returned to tell the mournful story. Another 
expedition had been sent against the Catawbas and t'herokees. A fierce 
battle was fought in Kentucky, at a place called the " Bloody Lands." and 
although the Six Nations were victorious, it was with terrible loss. 
Clarke recommended the raising of money to repair the forts, as they 
were very dilapidated, and suggested the erection of a new one at the 
carrying-place leading into Oneida Lake, and thence through the Oswego 



566 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORE. 

[liver into Lake Ontario; he thought it would he well to transfer the 
garrison from Fort Hunter to this new and commanding position. And 
to humor the clamor within the House, he consented to introduce the 
pracl ice (which has since prevailed) of absenting himself from the council, 
whenever it should sit as a branch of the Legislature. Chief Justice De 
Lancey was immediately appointed speaker of the council during the 
session. 

The concession so pleased the Common Council, that the next morning 
they sent a committee to offer one of the chambers in the City Hall for 
the sittings of the Legislative Council, which was graciously accepted. 
The following was accordingly placed upon their records : — 

"At a Common Council held at the City Hall on Thursday the 21st 
Oct. 21. 

day of October, 1736. 

" Present, Paul Richard, Esq', Mayor, Gerrardus Stuyvesant, Esq r , Deputy 
Mayor. Daniel Ilnrseinaiidi'ii. Ksi| r , hVrur<l<T, (with tin- aldermen and assist- 
ants.) 

•• Forasmuch as his Majesty's Councill of this Province are to sit and act in 
their Legislative capacity, during the sessions of the General Assembly (without 
the presence of the Governor or Commander-in-chief of this province) and where- 
as, a convenient room or chamber in the City Hall, under the same rooff where 
the General Assembly do usually meet and sit is for the better expediting the 
publick affaires of this Colony, that both Houses may have speedy recourse to each 
other for their greater ease and more speedy accomplishing of business ; 

" Resolved and Ordered, That the said Chamber in the City Hall of this ( 'ity, 
commonly called the Common Council Chamber, be with all convenient expedi- 
tion handsomely fitted up and furnished, and a convenient closet or more made 
in the same, and that the Chamber be adorned with pictures, maps, prints, and 
appropriated for the use and service of his Majesty's Council of this province, at 
all times during their sessions in General Assembly, and not otherwise, reserving 
to this corporation the property and use thereof at all other times. 
" Order of Common Council, 

Will Sharpas, Clerk." 

The Supreme Court was in session, where De Lancey as chief justice 
was in constant attendance. He consequently declined the honor of act- 
ing as speaker of the council, and a resolution was passed that the senior 
counselor present should at all times preside. Hon. Cadwallader Colden, 
who had returned to the city, accordingly took the chair. 1 

A few days later, Clarke received a commission from the crown, 

1 The council, as will be observed, acted in a twofold capacity : first, as advisory or privy 
council to the governor, and second (during the sessions of the Assembly) as a legislative 
council, in which they exercised similar functions as the Senate of the present day. 



CLARKE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR OF X FAY YORK. 567 

dated July 30, constituting him lieutenant-governor of the province. 
This gave him additional power and consequence. 

The reaction from chads to order was so sudden and pronounced that 
there was a general lull in the political world. The Assembly had an 
inactive and peaceable session, and on the 7th of November was prorogued 
until April. The winter was given to social gayeties and popular amuse- 
ments. Clarke was immensely gratified with his honors. His immediate 
connection with some of the prominent lords at Whitehall (he was a 
nephew of Blathwayt, to whom, indeed, lie was indebted for his appoint- 
ment in 1703 as secretary of the province of New York,) and through 
his marriage with the royal family itself, had given tone to his aspira- 
tions. He was by no means a brilliant man, but thirty-four years oi 
active public service in the colony had rendered him well acquainted with 
its affairs. He was tall, straight, with a military air and mien that made 
a favorable impression upon every one at first sight. He was not a man 
of letters; his mind was filled with schemes for increasing his fortune, 
rather than in lines of study. But lie was intelligent, sensible, and cau- 
tious. He had perfect command of a haughty, overbearing temper, and 
was extremely affable and conciliating in his address. 

Mrs. Clarke was one of the most accomplished and charming of women. 
She was not, strictly speaking, a beauty, but her face was full of expres- 
sion, and her heart overflowed with keen, quick sympathies. Her sweet- 
ness of temper was historical. It was said that nothing could ruffle it 
or draw an unkind criticism from her lips. Her husband's affectionate 
regard and devotedness to her, and his ready submission to her soothing 
voice, even when in his most excited and revengeful moods, were among 
the commendable traits in his character. And it is a strong proof of her 
clear understanding, excellent judgment, and sell-control, that she main- 
tained through her whole life such a healthful influence over him. 

Clarke had so managed hitherto as not to lose the favor of any gov- 
ernor. He now determined to make peace witli all classes of men in the 
colony. Cue of his first important acts was to effect a reconciliation be- 
tween the judges and Alexander and Smith, and restore the latter to their 
professional rank at the bar. It was a politic measure. But it failed to 
accomplish the purpose intended. Some of the more conservative mem- 
bers of the council took exceptions to this seemingly middle course which 
the new executive had adopted, chief among whom was De Lancey. 
Their confidence was shaken. 

It was quite an event when the two able lawyers once more appeared 
in court. 1 Alexander was no speaker, but his breadth of learning, honesty 

1 Historical Sketch of the Judicial Tribunals of New York. By Charles P. Daly. 



568 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

of purpose, and depth of thought commanded universal respect and ad- 
miration. He possessed the knack of throwing terrible significance into 
a few well-chosen words at certain times, and was always a formidable 
and much-dreaded adversary. Smith was a born orator. Speaking re- 
quired no effort with him. His grandest orations were often impromptu. 
There was always more or less of pathos, humor, scorn, and anger in 
them, He usually spoke slowly, regularly, distinctly, and smoothly, — as 
a clock ticks, — and seemed able to continue an indefinite length of time. 
His voice was musical, which, with an attractive face, fine presence, and 
great personal magnetism, was very effective upon a jury. He was a 
man of varied attainments ; an • excellent theologian, a French, Greek, 
Latin, and Hebrew scholar, and something of an adept in the sciences. 

The hospitalities of society were dispensed by Lieutenant-Governor 
Clarke, Chief Justice De Lancey, Eobert Watts, Abraham De Peyster, Jr., 
the treasurer of the province, Philip Van Cortlandt, of Cortlandt Manor, 
James Alexander, Colonel Beekman, Dr. Colden, and others, with a lib- 
erality and grace which have rarely been surpassed. Drawing-rooms 
were not filled to suffocation by a promiscuous crowd unknown to each 
other and scarcely known to the host and hostess. The guests were all 
of one class, and personally acquainted. The majority of them were re- 
lated by blood and marriage. Social intercourse was genial and agreeable, 
with great freedom of conversation. There were certain formalities, how- 
ever, which were never ignored ; and the etiquette of foreign courts was 
observed with a nicety which we, of this later and more democratic 
generation; can scarcely comprehend. 

Clarke met the Assembly in April, but the august and ancient 
body had grown captious ; a respectable minority among the mem- 
bers were intent upon a dissolution. He finally made a speech in terms 
of real or affected disgust, charging the gentlemen, of whom he said their 
constituents were heartily tired, with having neglected the interests of 
botli crown and colony, and dissolved them, issuing writs at once for a 
new election. 

It was nine years since the people had had an opportunity of choosing 
representatives, and they went into the field with a relish. The radicals 
won. Among the chosen, were, Colonel Van Kennselaer, Colonel Schuy- 
ler, Frederick Philipse, lord of Philipse Manor, Philip Livingston, Colo- 
nel Beekman, David Jones, and Gulian Verplanck. James Alexander 
was the new member elected by the city of New York. Lewis Morris, 
Jr., was made speaker of the House, which met in August. The presence 
of these two leading minds may be traced in nearly all the records of the 
Twenty-First Assembly. It was resolved to publish in future the names 



SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE 



569 



of voters for and against any question. Dills were offered by the speaker 
for the regulation of elections, for appointing an agent in Great Britain, 
independent of the governor, for reducing the interest on loans, and 
others of great variety. Bills were offered by Alexander encouraging the 
importation of both white and colored servants, the manufacture of iron 
and hemp, the prevention of frauds in Hour and other products intended 
for exportation, etc. 




Beekman Mansion, built by James Beekman in 1763. 
(It stood near the comer of Fifty-First Street and First Avenue until 1874.) 

The response of the House to the address of the lieutenant-governor 
was somewhat of a revelation. A spirit of independence blazed forth 
which would have done honor to the best days of Greece and Home 
Some of the vital principles of good government were recognized, particu- 
larly in reference to the frequency of elections and the danger of trusting 
the same men too long with power. One paragraph on the hackneyed 
subject/ of the revenue deserves notice : — 

" We therefore beg leave to tell your Honor that you are not to expect that 
we either will raise sums unfit to be raised, or put that which we shall raise into 
the power of a governor to misapply, if we can prevent it ; nor shall we make 
up any other deficiencies than what we conceive are fit and just to be paid, or 
continue what support or revenue we shall raise for any longer time than one 



570 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



year ; nor do we think it convenient to do even that, until such laws are passed 
as we conceive necessary for the safety of the inhabitants of this colony." 

The session continued until December. Many bills of the first impor- 
tance were passed. Paper money was emitted for paying the provincial 
debt, and a loan-office was erected. The fort at Oswego was once more 
protected, and Indian trade faciUtated. Clarke humored the intemperate 
zeal of one party, and curbed as far as possible the resentment of the 
other. He found himself presently regarded with watchful suspicion by 
both parties. 

For a century the feudal estate of the Gardiners on the beautiful island 
at the eastern extremity of Long Island Sound had steadily flourished. Its 
proprietors were invested with such authority from the crown as to render 
it comijaratively independent of the government of the province. It was 
not even connected in its civil concerns with Eastbampton, the nearest 
town on the Long Island shore. It was enveloped in a web of romance, 
from having been made the repository of the piratical treasures of Cap- 
tain Kidd ; ! and more recently (in 1728) through having been infested 
and pillaged by Spanish pirates. Yet it was in no way affected by the 
political controversies of the times. It was now under the rule of David, 
the fourth lord of the manor. 2 

1 It was during the life of John Gardiner, the third lord of the manor, that Kidd visited the 
island. John, third son of the third lord, married Sarah, daughter of Governor Saltonstall 
of Connecticut (the 
Richard Saltonstall). 
John Gardiner, third 
Hannah married 
Worcester, Massa- 
great-grandmother of 
croft, the historian ; 
ried Thomas Green 
the mother of the dis- 
Green, who married 
of John Singleton 
sister of Baron Lynd- 
Ior of England. — Gar- 

2 David Gardiner, 
manor, was born 
the church records is 
July 4,died Lord Gar- 
Upon his tombstone 
yard is the coat-of- 
sketch is a fac-simile. 
Abraham, Samuel, and David 



granddaughter of Sir 
Of the daughters of 
lord of the manor, 
John Chandler of 
chusetts, and was the 
Hon. George Ban- 
and Elizabeth mar- 
of Boston, and was 
tinguished Gardiner 
Elizabeth, daughter 
Copley, B. A., and 
hurst, Lord Chancel- 
diner Family Papers. 
fourth lord of the 
January 3, 1691. On 
this entry : " 1751, 
diner, aged sixty. " 
in the Gardinergrave- 
arms, of which the 
His sous were John, 
The widow of John (fifth lord) married General Putnam, 

and died at the headquarters of the army on the Hudson, and was buried in the private vault 

of Colonel Beverly Uobinson. 




CITY IMPROVEMENTS. 571 



CHAPTER XXVI 



CITY IMPROVEMENTS. 

City Improvements. — The First Quarantine. — Trinity church. — Adolphe Phil- 
ipse. — The Disfranchisement of the Jews. — Political Throes. — Judge Lewis 
Morris. — John Cruger. — Daniel Horsemanden. — Political Parties. — The 
New Market-house in Broadway. — The De Lancey Mansion. — Death of Mrs. 
Clarke. — The Negro Plot. — Burning of the Governor's House in the Fort. — 
Mary Burton. — Wholesale Alarm. — The Common Council. — Burning at the 
Stake. — Hanging. — Transportation of Convicts. — Day of Public Thanksgiv- 
ing. — The Yellow Fever in New York. — Dr. Coltjen's Medical Treatise. 
Governor George Clinton. — The Warren Family.- Mansion of Admiral Sir 
Peter Warren. — Sir William Johnson. — The Indians. — The French. — The 
Conquest of Louisburg. — Sir William Pepperell. — Admiral Sir Peter Warren. 

THE city was as yet without form or symmetry. The streets had 
come to pass in a crooked and irregular manner, and the buildings 
were of as many styles and sizes as dates. The sidewalks were gener- 
ally roofed with foliage in the summertime, for the shade-trees before- 
mentioned had spread out their branches and leafy boughs, and, with the 
exception of the shrubs and flowers which appeared on all sides, were the 
most beautiful objects upon Manhattan Island. The corporation insti- 
tuted improvements now and then. Water Street, from Fulton to Peck 
Slip, was rescued from the river during the year 1737. But there were 
no special signs of growth about this particular period. 

An alarm was created in the early spring by a report that small- 
pox and spotted fever were raging in South Carolina. A pilot-boat 
was at once ordered to be constantly in waiting at or near Sandy Hook, 
for the purpose of boarding all vessels from Barbadoes, Antigua, and South 
Carolina. The commanders of such vessels were ordered to anchor near 
Bedloe's Island, and to permit no persons or goods to be landed until vis- 
ited by physicians from the city. Thus was established the first quaran- 
tine in New York. 

Trinity Church w^as enlarged this year. The inside of the edifice was 
ornamented beyond that of any other place of public worship in this coun- 
try. The head of the chancel was adorned with an altar-piece, and oppo- 



572 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



site, at the other end of the building, was subsequently placed a superb 
organ. The tops of the pillars which supported the galleries were decked 
with the gilt busts of winged angels. From the ceilings were suspended 
glass branches of great beauty. Upon the walls appeared the escutcheons 
of Governor Fletcher and other benefactors of the church. The furniture 
of the communion-table, desk, and pulpit was of the richest and costliest 

quality. Three full sets of 
communion-plate had been 
bestowed successively by 
William and Mary, Queen 
Anne, and one of the Georges, 
each inscribed with the do- 
nor's initials and the royal 
arms. A wealthy and fash- 
ionable congregation filled its 
pews every Sabbath; and it 
was not long before its in- 
creased accommodations were 
found inadequate to the wants 
of the organization, and St. 
George's Chapel, on Beekman 
Street, was projected. The 
early Episcopal ministers 
were zealous, self-denying, 
hard-working Christians, and 
the rapid growth of this church 
was, in a large measure, due 
to their praiseworthy endeav- 
ors to promote its best interests. The Eev. William Vesey, who was rec- 
tor for over half a century, occupied the pulpit at this time. Beneath the 
floor were vaidts of the leading families attached to the congregation, de- 
noted by sculptured entablatures along the side walls of the building. 

It was about this time that Free-Masonry first created a ripple in the 
atmosphere. In the New York Gazette of November 28, 1737, appeared 
the following : — 

" Mr. Bradford: There being a new and unusual sect or society of late spread 
into these parts of America, their Principles, Practices, ami Designs not being 
known to the world, has been the reason that in Holland, France, Italy, and 
other places they have been suppressed. All other societies that have appeared 
in the world have published their Principles and Practices, and when they meet 
set open their Meeting-house Doors for all who will come in and see and hear 




Trinity Church, 1737. 



DISFRANCHISEMENT OF THE JEWS. 573 

them ; but this Society called Free-Masons, meet with their doors shut, and a 
guard at the outside to prevent any to approach near to hear or see what they 
are doing. They oblige all their Proselytes to keep their Principles and Prac- 
tices secret, according to the severe Oath they are obliged to take at their firsl 
admittance, viz. : — 

'"I, A. B., Hereby solemnly vow and swear in the Presence of Almighty 
God and this Eight Worshippful Assembly, that I will Hail and Conceal, and 
never Reveal the Secrets or Secrecy of Masons or Masonry, that shall be revealed 
unto me ; unless to a true and lawful brother, after due Examination, or in 
just and Worshippful Lodge of Brothers and Fellows well met. 

"'I furthermore Promise and vow. that 1 will not write them, print them, 
mark them, carve them, or engrave them, or cause them to be written, printed, 
marked, carved, or engraved on wood or stone, so that the visible character or 
impression of a letter may appear, whereby it may be lawfully obtained. 

" 'All this under no less penalty than to have my throat cut, my tongue taken 
from the roof of my mouth, my heart plucked from under my left breast, the 
same to be buried in the sands of the sea, the length of a cable rope from shore, 
where the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours ; and my body burned 
to ashes and scattered upon the face of the earth, so that there shall be no more 
remembrance of me among Masons. So help me God.' " 

Henceforward the growth of the organizations may be traced in the 
frequent notices of Masonic meetings which appeared in the public prints, 
until it embraced many of the most distinguished men of the period. 

The principal historical incident of 1738, was the memorable 173g> 
contested election between Adolphe Philipse and Gerrit Van 
Home, in connection with which the Jews were disfraiicbised. Philipse, 
who had been speaker of the House for a dozen years, lest his seat in the 
general election of 1737. Gerrit Van Home, one of the members elect 
from the city, died shortly after, and a special election was held to till 
the vacancy. Cornelius Van Home, the son of the deceased, was the can- 
didate in opposition to Philipse ; and when the latter was declared chosen, 
the former entered a complaint of dishonesty in the counting of votes 
against the sheriff. The House ordered that neither Philipse nor Van 
Home should be admitted to membership until the sheriff had been ex- 
amined. William Smith appeared as counsel for Van Home, and Piobert 
Murray for Philipse. The latter, according to Parliamentary usage, moved 
for a scrutiny of votes. This was carried, in spite of all efforts to the con- 
trary, and the success provoked a spirited attack upon Alexander, who as 
a member of the Upper House could not rightfully occupy a seat in the 
Lower House. Alexander quickly responded that he had not acted in 
council since his election, and was ready to promise not to do so during 



574 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the continuance of the Assembly ; whereupon the House resolved, that 
while he kept his pledge he was duly qualified, but that upon the breach 
of it he should be expelled. 

Philipse and Van Home were directed to exchange lists of questionable 
electors ; the sheriff had already been acquitted of fraud, as far as he was 
concerned. Smith denied the qualification of the Jews as electors, some 
of them having voted for Philipse. A singular debate on the subject was 
the result, which occupied several days. Murray urged the authority of 
the law which gave the suffrage to all free-holders of competent estates, 
not excepting " the descendants of Abraham, according to the flesh." 

Smith — whose captivating eloquence equalled, if not surpassed, that of 
Andrew Hamilton, and was possibly not excelled by even that of Patrick 
Henry, when he dethroned the reason of the court and led captive the 
jury in the great tobacco case in Virginia, a few years afterward — made a 
speech which convinced his audience that the honor of Christianity and 
the preservation of the Constitution was at stake. It was delivered iu 
plain and vigorous English, and with the assurance and confidence that is 
only born of power. He covered all the possibilities of his adversary's case, 
reviewed the history, and expressed the most tender pity for the Jews, 
revealed a knowledge of the Bible which astonished both lawyers and 
representatives, and then turned to the sacrifice of Christ, and so patheti- 
cally described the bloody tragedy on Mount Calvary, that one of the 
members cried out in agony, begging him to desist, declaring his convic- 
tion. Strong men wept ; and the unfortunate Israelites were content to 
lose their votes, could they escape with their lives. Such was the effect 
of this remarkable oratory, that the massacre of every Jew in Christendom 
for the ancestral sin of crucifying Jesus of Nazareth, would have seemed 
at the moment, in the minds of many, as not only just and proper, but a 
solemn duty. 

After some little delay, the House decided, 1, that Jews could not 
vote ; 2, that non-resident freeholders had a right to vote ; 3, that such as 
were freeholders of £40, three months before the test of the writ of 
election, were voters ; but, 4, a grantee of a mortgage in fee forfeited, who 
has been in possession of the mortgaged premises for several years, was 
declared not entitled to a vote by virtue of such mortgage. 

Although the Jews were denied the right of suffrage, the fact that non- 
resident freeholders were entitled to the same, gave Philipse the final 
victory, and he was declared a member. The next year he was again 
chosen speaker, and remained in the chair until 1745. He then retired 
from public service, being eighty years of age. He owned about twenty 
by twelve square acres of land in Putnam County, and thereabouts, em- 



JUDGE LEWIS MORRIS. 575 ■ 

bracing Lake Mahopac, and its picturesque surroundings. This property 
was let out to such as would come and settle on it. vent free for a few 
years. Philipse built a small log-house for his own accommodation, when- 
ever he should choose to make the fifty-mile journey from New York to 
look after his possessions. He actually made this journey in 1744, then 
seventy-nine years of age, and caused the first road to be laid out through 
his twenty-mile farm, by marking trees and erecting stakes. 1 

The presence of Philipse in the House strengthened the conservative 
party, and caused many a warm discussion. And when the tempest 
within was abated by the settlement of a point, a tempest without gener- 
ally commenced, for the Council rarely approved of any Act of the Lower 
House without first embarrassing it with a variety of amendments. The 
loss altogether of certain hills, for the regulation of elections and feeing 
of officials, produced great dissatisfaction. The Assembly finally became 
stiff and unyielding, and instead of complying with Clarke's desire for the 
adoption of measures which would provide for the payment of salaries, 
and the creation of a sinking fund for the redemption of the bills of the 
colony, it resolved, unanimously, to grant no supplies on the principles 
advanced by the lieutenant-governor. 

Clarke was indignant, and dissolved the body "for taking," he said, 
"such presumptuous, daring, and unprecedented steps that he 
could not look upon it but with astonishment, nor could he with 
honor suffer their authors to sit any longer." 

To add to the disagreeable agitations of the season, the Triennial Act, 
which passed the House in 1737, for the frequent election of rep- 

Nov. 30. 

resentatives to serve in General Assembly, and for the frequent 
calling and meeting of the General Assembly so elected, was repealed by 
the king. 

The next election occurred in the spring ; in the choice of a speaker, 
after much commotion, Lewis Morris, Jr.. was set aside, in favor 
of Adolphe Philipse. Lewis Morris, Jr., was a much younger 
man than his rival, being only forty-one. He was strikingly unlike his 
father, who was now in the gubernatorial chair of New Jersey, had less 
forensic ability, rarely indulged in offensive sarcasm, and possessed great 
suavity of manner, with genuine humor. As a politician he was wary, 
self-reliant, and equal to any emergency. What he once maintained he 
would never abandon or lay aside for an instant. He avoided speech- 
making, but when driven to it through any extraordinary excitement he 
never lacked expression, though some of his rhetorical flights were re- 

1 He died in 1750, and ULs estate reverted to his nephew, the second Lord of the Manor. 



576 HISTORY OF TIIE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

garded as pedantic, and his pluck almost reached audacity. He had great 
gift in repartee, and was singularly entertaining in society. He was a 
handsome man, bearing a striking resemblance in face and figure to his 
grandfather, James Graham. 1 He married for his first wife Trintie, 
daughter of Dr. Samuel Staats. His elder son, Lewis, was one of the 
signers of the Declaration of Independence ; his second son, Staats Long 
Morris, adhered to the crown in the Revolution, married Lady Catharine 
Gordon, daughter of the Earl of Aberdeen, and widow of the Duke of 
Gordon, and died a full general in the British army. His third son, Rich- 
ard, was Chief Justice of New York from 1779 to 1790. He married for 
his second wife, in 1746, Sarah, daughter of Nicholas Gouverneur. Their 
son was the celebrated Gouverneur Morris, United States Minister to 
France at the period of the French Revolution. 2 

The Twenty-Second Assembly was as unmanageable as its predecessor. 
The demand for a permanent-supply bill was met by an obstinate refusal. 
The autumn session was held in a small house on the bank of the 
Hudson, two mdes out of town, on account of the small-pox, which was 
raging in the city. It would only grant annual supplies to the govern- 
ment, and it was about to trench yet further upon the royal preroga- 
tive, by insisting upon specific applications of the revenue, indicated by 
a clause to be inserted in the bill. 

Clarke was perplexed indeed. He finally prorogued the body 
' for a few days, for the express purpose, he said, " of affording the 
members leisure to reflect seriously upon the line of duty required of them 
by the exigencies of the country." He then brought the subject before the 
Council. He was not inclined to revive old animosities, or create new ones 
by another summary dissolution. The Council referred the question to 
a special committee, of which the Hon. Daniel Horsemanden was chair- 
man. He was one of the most energetic supporters of kingly power ; 1 nit, 
in consequence of the existing posture of affairs, and the necessity of a 
speedy provision for the public purse, the committee reported unanimous- 
ly against a dissolution. They gave their opinion " that the Assembly, 
and the people whom they represented, had the disputed point so much 
at heart that it would be impossible to do business with them unless it 
was conceded." Governor Morris of New Jersey had recently established 

1 The picture of Lewis Morris, son of Governor Lewis Morris, was erroneously published for 
that of his father, in the Volume of Papers of Governor Lewi's Morris, by the New Jersey 
Historical Society. 

2 In the possession of Mr. Robert Rutherford, of the city of New York, is the family Bible 
of Judge Lewis Morris above mentioned. It is a Dutch folio, bound in embossed pig-skin, 
with brass clasps and corner-pieces, illustrated with copper-plates, and bears the imprint of 
Peter Rotterdam De Jonge, Dort and Amsterdam, 1714. 



J0J1X CRUGER. 577 

the precedent by yielding a similar point to the Legislature of that Slate ; 
should a dissolution take place, there was no reason to suppose the next 
Assembly would be less tenacious in asserting the offensive principle. 
And the lieutenant-governor acquiesced. A better state of feeling was 
the result; the Assembly made various appropriations for the defense of 
the province, in view of a threatened rupture with Spain, which shortly 
after occurred. 

John Cruger was appointed mayor of the city in October. He was an 
eminent merchant, who had resided in New York since the commence- 
ment of the century. He married Maria Cuyler in 1702. He was held 
in high estimation by his contemporaries: was chosen successively for 
twenty-two years — from 1712 to 1733 — alderman of the Dock Ward 
(now the First Ward ). He had two sons, Henry and John, the latter of 
whom was at this time a stirring young man of twenty-nine, and subse- 
quently became one of the most trusted officers of the crown, the favorite 
representative of the people, mayor of the city, one of the founders and 
the first president of the Chamber of Commerce, in short, the central figure 
among the remarkable personages of that eventful colonial period just 
prior to the birth of a great nation. Henry was also a prominent public 
character, serving in the Assembly and in the Council for many years. 
Of the sons of the latter, John Harris Cruger was chamberlain of the citj 
prior to the Revolution, and in the struggle, remained true to the king 
and became a distinguished officer in De Lancey's brigade ; Henry Cruger 
went to England and was colleague of Edmund Burke in Parliament, and 
afterwards mayor of Bristol; and Nicholas Cruger was the successful 
West India merchant under whose patronage Alexander Hamilton came 
to this country. The Crugers were large ship-owners engaged in general 
trade, chiefly with Bristol and the West Indies. Their place of business 
was on Cruger's Wharf, east of Whitehall Slip, on the East River. 1 

The recorder of the city (from 1736 to 1747 I was Daniel Horsemanden, 
who was also a member of the Executive Council, and one of the judges 
of the Supreme Court. He was a man of some forty-five years. He came 
to New York with Governor Cosby. He was born in Gouldhurst, Kent 
County, England. His education and natural abilities fitted him for 

1 The family of Cruger is supposed to be of Danish origin. The first of the name in Kng- 
land are reputed to have emigrated from the continent in the reign of Henry VIII., and 
settled in Bristol, where numerous ancient monuments to the family exist in the churchyard 
attached to the cathedral. John Cruger was the earliest of the name in New York ; he first 
appears in 1698, as supercargo of the trading ship, The Prophet Daniel, Captain Appel, 
which weighed anchor at New York, bound to the coast of Africa, where she fell into the 
hands of pirates, — a misfortune of which Cruger published a curious account on his return. 
Chamber of Commerce Records, pp. "■ is. By John Austin Stevens. 



578 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

almost any station in life, but his mind was tinctured with notions ac- 
quired in the early part of his career, long before he came to this coun- 
try, which rendered him unfriendly to the fair development of colonial 
character. He was hostile to Catholicism, biased in favor of existing 
f »rms of government, and unreasonably prejudiced against the Dutch. He 
became in course of time (in 1763) chief justice of the province. But 
he was never quite equal to the full and impartial examination of facts 
and circumstances in cases where party interests were involved. The 
office of city recorder was his reward for energetic exertions in behalf 
of Clarke in opposition to Van Dam. His subsequent vicissitudes of for- 
tune were many ; he was at one time in the depths of pecuniary distress, 
through his suspension from all offices of emolument by Governor Clin- 
ton, but an advantageous marriage with Mrs. Vesey, the widow of the 
Eector of Trinity Church, saved him from the horrors of a debtor's prison, 
and he was finally restored to the bench with increased consideration. 1 

Governor Lewis Morris, although devoted to the administration of New 
Jersey, still had the affairs of New York very much at heart. His letters 
to Sir Charles Wager, and other of the English noblemen, were a reve- 
lation in themselves. Speaking of the people in either province, he said 
they were permeated by insincerity and ignorance, and with so rooted a 
jealousy of governors, that it required more temper and skill to rule 
wisely than fell to every man's share. The voters who made the Assem- 
bly could not always read, but they knew enough to clamor for the sole 
direction of the government. He could hardly decide whether it were 
better to attempt to drive or lead them. As for the Assemblymen them- 
selves, they spent the larger part of their time in unprofitable disputes. 
There was so much choler among them that they shunned the conver- 
sation of each other out of the House, in about the same ratio that they 
failed to preserve the rules of common decency within. If a bill was pro- 
posed, however meritorious, by one party, the other opposed it, seemingly 
or really, for opposition's sake ; and both sides descended to downright 
scolding, giving the lie, threatening to spit in the face, and often getting 
together by the ears. Morris said he made these little unpleasantnesses 

1 Horsemanden was restored to his place on the heneh July 28, 1750, and resumed his seat 
in the Council in September, 1755. Council Minutes, XXV. On the resignation of Judge 
Chambers in 1672, he was appointed second judge of the Supreme Court ; and chief justice 
in March, 1763. He was the last chief justice of New York as a province. He adhered to 
the royal cause upon the breaking out of the Revolution, and was one of the nine hundred 
and forty-six loyalists who presented an address to Lord Howe in 1776, and on the same day, 
he addressed Governor Tryon in behalf of the same persons. Sabine. He died in 1778. In 
his will he made several bequests for public objects, chiefly connected with Trinity Church ; 
£ 500, however, were bequeathed to King's College. 



POLITICAL PARTIES. 



579 



EXPLANATION , THE FORT IN NEW YORK 



rather a matter of diversion than otherwise, occasionally expressing sur- 
prise that good men should think so ill of each other. He was friendly 
to Clarke, and spoke of him in terms of commendation. But he said the 
latter was in an unfortunate dilemma. He had conducted himself in 
such a way that he was considered one of the most artful of beings. The 
party who supported Cosby believed that Clarke had been the director 
of all his measures ; aud when Clarke denied the charge in order to curry 
favor with the opposition, and accredited the missteps of the late gov- 
ernor to Mrs. Cosby (who really was an intriguing, managing, unprinci- 
pled woman, and doubtless exerted a very unhealthful influence over 
her weak husband), he gained nothing, while he lost the good-will and 
fellowship of those who had been his most ardent co-workers; they at 
first grew cool towards him, then they fell to upbraiding him in private, 
aud, growing more free, finally seemed to lose patience with courtesy, and 
attacked him in all companies, finding fault with his acts and measures, even 
descending to a pitch of rudeness unpardonable in the superlative degree, 
which it must have been difficult 
indeed to have overlooked. Peter 
De Lancey, the son-in-law of Dr. 
Colden, and brother to the chief 
justice, meeting Clarke one day 
close by the fort wall, expressed 
himself in terms of the most con- 
temptuous abuse, because of cer- 
tain recent proceedings attributed 
to the influence of "his Excel- 
lency," notwithstanding that 
Mrs. Clarke and her daughter Plan of For. George. 

were walking upon the ramparts 

of the fort, within hearing of his ungracious utterances. The opposition 
interpreted Clarke's indifference to such attacks as sheer pretense. They 
regarded the whole as a sort of mysterious blind for their eyes. Sus- 
picion had not only taken deep root but flourished. 

A traveler passing through New York not far from this period gives 
a humorous account of how he was entertained by the different political 
parties. He dined with some of the prominent "courtiers," who called 
everybody black except themselves. "Fine times for a Dutch mob to 
judge of prerogatives !" said one. "These Dutchmen will fancy by and 
by that they are in Holland, and treat us like a parcel of burgomasters!" 
exclaimed another: and thus the banquet was enlivened to the end. He 
thought it would be more agreeable to go anion-- the no-party men, but, 




580 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

although the evening commenced propitiously, he soon discovered., to his 
surprise, that they were as violent " courtiers " as any he had ever seen. He 
was invited to a club consisting of both-party men, and thought they would 
have devoured each other before they separated. He spent an evening 
with some Zengerites, whose discourse was peppered with invectives 
against the " courtiers," whom they considered the common enemies of 
mankind. He almost became a convert to the opinion that no man could 
have good sense — he must be a fool or a rascal — if he differed from his 
neighbor on any of the topics of the day. But he had yet to make the 
acquaintance of the " Prudents," those who in their hearts were resolved 
to court the rising power, without giving umbrage to the minority. Their 
maxim was, "Differ with no one who has the power to injure you." He 
thought the maxim tended too much towards depriving men of their 
liberty ; and that the " Prudents " themselves were monotonous bores. 
He finally resolved to visit the ladies. Alas ! they were more zealous 
politicians than the gentlemen. He found " courtiers," and " Zengerites," 
no-party women, both-party women, and " Prudents " ; and they were, as 
he expressed himself, " as warm as scalloped oysters in their discussions, 
although exceptionally good-mannered." 

It was during the year 1739 that a market-house, forty-two feet long 
by twenty-five broad, arose in the middle of Broadway, on the site of the 
old wagon-stand, opposite Liberty Street. It was an improvement, al- 
though progress soon converted it into a hideous deformity as far as the 
street was concerned. Trinity Churchyard was about the same time en- 
larged and beautified. 

Just north of Trinity Church was the elegant De Lancey mansion, which 
was subsequently converted into the City Hotel. It was an immense 
edifice, encircled by balconies, with a wide piazza reaching the entire 
length of the rear of the house. The water view from this point, with the 
Jersey shores and heights reaching far into the distant horizon, was mag- 
nificent. The highly cultivated grounds ran down to the water's edge, 
and Thames Street was the alley-way of the property. It was the resi- 
dence of Hon. Stephen (Etienne) De Lancey, and, after his death, of his 
son, Chief Justice James De Lancey. It was where the beautiful Susanna 
De Lancey was courted, and married to Admiral Sir Peter Warren ; and 
where her still more captivating sister, Ann, was united in wedlock to 
Hon. John Watts. 
1740. In the spring of 1740, Mrs. Clarke, the wife of the lieutenant- 
May 19. governor, died, and her remains were tenderly deposited in Trinity 
Church. She was regarded with enthusiastic affection by the people of 
New York, and the whole city was thrown into the deepest affliction. Her 



THE NEGRO PLOT. 581 

generosity to the poor had given her the title of " Lady Bountiful," and, 
on the day of her funeral, the corporation ordered, " that, as it was a jjleas- 
sure to her in life to feed the hungry, a loaf of bread should he given to 
every poor person who would receive it," l 

K\ er since the horrible affair of 1711', the citizens of New York had 
been more or less afraid of the negro slaves, who comprised so large a pari 
of the population of the city. Stringent measures had been adopted from 
time to time to keep them under surveillance ; if three negroes were at 
any time seen together, the penalty was forty lashes on the bare back, and 
if a negro was seen walking with a club in his hand, outside of his master's 
grounds, he was sure to receive a like number of lashes. The colored 
people would steal ; they seemed to have no moral ideas beyond the pun- 
ishment awaiting them, and were constantly being detected in petty thefts, 
and subjected to the barbarous treatment characteristic of the times. 

Things grew worse instead of better, until the " Negro Plot " made 
the year 1741 memorable in history. ' 

On the 28th of February the house of Robert Hogg, coiner of 
Broad and South William Streets, was robbed. Mary Burton, an 
indented servant to a tavern-keeper of low character, in gossiping with a 
neighbor, said her employer was in the habit of receiving and secreting 
stolen goods in his house. This reaching the ears of the city magistrates, 
the whole family were arrested, and committed for trial ; as also two ne- 
groes, Prince and Caesar, who were accused of the robbery. 

One day about noon, some three. weeks later, the governor's 
house in the fort — occupied by Clarke — was suddenly discovered 
to be on fire, which, together with the little chapel, secretary's office, and 
several adjoining buildings, was totally consumed. The accident was at 
the time supposed to be the result of the carelessness of a plumber, who 
had left fire in a gutter between the house and the chapel. 

But, within the following week, the chimney of Admiral Sir Peter War- 
ren's house took fire one morning; it was extinguished, however, with 
slight damage. Then a fire broke out in the store-house of Winant Van 
Zandt, which was charged t^o the heedlessness of a smoker. Three days 
subsequently the hay in a cow-stable near the house of Mr. Quick was 
discovered burning. The alarm was sounded, and the flames suppressed. 
Before the people had reached their homes there was a fifth alarm ; a fire 
was emanating from between two beds in the loft of a kitchen occupied 
by two negroes, in the house of Mr. Thompson. The next morning coals 
were found under a haystack near a coach-house in Broadway. The fol- 
lowing day a fire burst forth from the house of Sergeant Burns opposite 

1 New York Gazette, May 26, 1740. 



582 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the fort; and a tew hours later, the roof of Mr. Hilton's house near the 
Fly Market was discovered on fire, and, on the same afternoon, Colonel 
Frederick Philipse's storehouse was all ablaze. 

The coincidence of circumstances seemed to render it certain that some 
if not all of these fires were the effect of design, and suspicion fell upon 
the negroes. The wholesale alarm induced many of the citizens to remove 
their goods and valuables to places of safety beyond the city limits ; while 
every colored individual who could not tell a straight story was lodged 
in jail. 

On the 11th of April the Common Council offered a reward of 
Aprl U ' one hundred pounds, and a full pardon, to any conspirator who 
would reveal his knowledge of the plot, which was now believed to exist 
among the negroes, for burning the city and effecting a general revolution. 
The negroes were examined without eliciting any facts, and the city was 
searched for strangers and suspicious persons without success. 

Finally the prisoners were brought before the Supreme Court, Judges 
Philipse and Horseinanden presiding. The grand jury on this 
p ' occasion were, Robert Watts, foreman, Jeremiah Latouche, Joseph 
Read, Anthony Rutgers, John Cruger, Jr., John McEvers, Adonijah 
Schuyler, Abraham De Peyster, John Merrit, David Provoost, Abraham 
Ketteltas, Henry Beekman, Rene Hett, David Van Home, Winant Van 
Zandt, George Spencer, and Thomas Duncan. The proclamation of par- 
don and reward was read to Mary Burton; after much persuasion she 
testified that meetings of negroes had been held at her master's house, 
and that they had a plan to burn the fort and city, after which her master 
was to be king, and Cassar governor ; that Cuff Philipse 1 used to say that 
some people had too much and others too little, but that the time was 
coming when master Philipse would have less and Cuff more. She 
swore, however, at that time that she never saw any white person present 
when the negroes talked of burning the town, except her master and 
mistress, and Peggy Carey. The latter was a woman of questionable repu- 
tation. She was next examined ; but denied all knowledge of the fires, 
and said she could not accuse any one without telling a falsehood. She 
was convicted of having received and secreted the stolen goods, and sen- 
tenced to death. Terrified, she begged for a second examination, and 
grasping the means of rescue that had been previously offered to her, she 
made a startling confession, implicating many persons, who were imme- 
diately arrested on her evidence ; but her stories were apparently invented 
to save herself from the gallows, and the magistrates were incredulous. 

1 The negroes were familiarly called by the surnames of their masters. 



BUBNING AT Till-: STAKE. . r )S.'i 

She was executed, and with her dying speech pronounced all her former 
confessions " lies." 

In the mean time several fires had occurred at Hackinsack, New Jersey . 
and two negroes, condemned as incendiaries, were burned at the slake 
in a most horrible manner. 

Caesar and Prince were the next victims. They denied all knowl- 
edge of the conspiracy to the fist, although they confessed to the 
stolen goods. The terrified negroes began to criminate each other 
upon all sides, hoping thus to save themselves from the dreadful death 
which awaited them. Many more were arrested. The details of the 
several trials and executions are too sickening for repetition. The tav- 
ern-keeper and his wife were hung on the 12th of June, their 

. . Jane 12. 

conviction and condemnation resting on the sole evidence of the 

girl Mary Burton. Several other executions presently followed. The 

burnings at the stake were enough to make humanity shudder. 

On the 19th of June the lieutenant-governor issued a pardon 
to all who would confess and reveal the names of their accomplices, " 
before the ensuing 1st day of July. Upon this the accusations multiplied 
with frightful rapidity. Mary Burton suddenly remembered that John 
Ury, a Catholic priest and a school-teacher in the city, had been con- 
cerned. The evidence received against this unhappy man can only find 
its parallel in the annals of the Salem witchcraft. He was condemned 
to the gallows and suffered on the 29th of August, proclaiming his 
innocence to the last. Many white people were arrested ; finally, 
Mary Burton, grown bolder by success, began to implicate persons of con- 
sequence. This startled the government, and a stop was put to all further 
proceedings. 

But the catalogue, of victims had already been fearful. One hundred 
and titty-four negroes had been imprisoned, of whom fourteen were 1 mined 
at the stake, eighteen hanged, two gibbeted, seventy-one transported, and 
the rest pardoned or discharged for want of proof. Twenty-four white 
persons were tried and imprisoned, four of whom were among the exe- 
cuted. 

Ury was tried not only as a conspirator, but for officiating as a Popish 
priest, under the law of the colony passed in 1700, for the purpose of 
driving the French missionaries from the Indian country, and was con- 
victed on both indictments. A letter from General Oglethorpe, the vis- 
ionary Lycurgus of Georgia, to the lieutenant-governor, gave weight to 
the suspicions against the poor fellow. It had been discovered that some 
Spanish Catholic slaves, lately captured and sold in the city at public 
vendue, were accomplices in the plot. Oglethorpe wrote that he was in 



584 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

possession of private intelligence to the effect that the Spaniards had 
employed emissaries to burn all the towns of any note in English North 
America, in order to prevent the subsisting of the great naval expedition 
bound for the West Indies, and that many priests were employed as aids 
in the infernal project, who were expected to gain access to families as 
physicians, dancing-masters, etc. The fate of Ury was lamented after 
it was too late ; and when the community was restored to its right mind, 
and became convinced that the conspiracy only existed in the imagina- 
tion, excepting as far as negroes were desirous of creating alarms, to en- 
able them to commit thefts with more ease, the proceedings against him 
were generally condemned as harsh, cruel, and unjust. There was no 
resisting the whirlwind when every man thought he was in danger from 
a foe in his own house. A panic seized the whole population which 
produced effects similar to the terror which drove men mad respecting 
witches and witchcraft in both Europe and America, and which made all 
England insane in the time of Titus Oates. A woman testified in court 
one day, that she saw three negroes walking up Broadway (at the time 
the fires were occurring with the greatest frequency), and one of them 
threw up his hands and with a chuckling laugh said, " Fire, fire, scorch, 
scorch a little, — damn it by and by ' " The judges and the jury esteemed 
such evidence overwhelming. The Assembly caught the infection. It 
was in session while these tragedies were being enacted in the court-room 
and under the broad blue skies. It thanked the officers who were the 
most active and vigorous in detecting supposed criminals, and passed 
severer laws against the slaves. 

The perjured Mary Burton received the £ 100 which had been prom- 
ised. Her various statements should have rendered her whole testimony 
unworthy of credit. It is probable that the fear of death and the hope 
of pardon induced many who were not guilty to make confessions. The 
negroes were afraid of each other, and each wanted to be first at the con- 
fessional. They had no defense nor legal advice, and their total igno- 
rance led them into such singular behavior, in many instances, as to insure 
almost certain condemnation. 

When the danger seemed to have passed, a day was set apart 
Sept. 24. ° . . 

by the lieutenant-governor for general thanksgiving. 

Clarke's power over the Assembly diminished as months rolled on. In 

his address on the 18th of September, he said, " It is high time for you 

to make provision for rebuilding the house, chapel, barracks, and other 

edifices in the fort which were destroyed by the late fire kindled as the 

horrid result of an execrable conspiracy to burn this whole town and to 

destroy the people, which nothing but a Divine Providence hindered 




" Ugh ! I no dream any more. White chief dream better than Indian. " ^Page 583. 



THE WAR WITH SPAIN. 585 

from being fully executed, nor do I think we ought now to rest in such 
supine security as to be careless of our present and future safety : where- 
fore I think it necessary that you pass some good law for the proper regu- 
lation of military night-watches." The. war with Spain involved many 
expenses. It seemed as if the purse of New York was constantly assailed 
for warlike outlays in one direction and another. Hitherto the French 
and Indians had almost driven the Province to bankruptcy. Now Eng- 
land had involved herself in bloody controversy with a great power, and 
dutiful New York must contribute to the sending of expeditions to the 
West Indies and elsewhere. " It may enrich you beyond all other means 
that can be devised," said Clarke, coaxingly ; " for conquests in that direc- 
tion will increase your trade and navigation." 

However much such arguments influenced the House in its appropria- 
tions for the war, Clarke could not accomplish a settlement of the revenue 
as he desired. It responded haughtily to his address. He wrote to the 
Lords of Trade that the Assembly had unmasked. He said it was more 
than ever determined to give the revenue only from year to year. He 
also warned the Lords against an address which the Council had drafted 
and signed, praying the king to furnish money for the rebuilding of the 
house, chapel, barracks, secretary's office, etc., in the fort ; the plea of 
poverty he pronounced false, the province never having been in as flour- 
ishing a condition as at present, and there was, in his opinion, no province 
in America less burdened witli public expenditures. 

One of the most important acts of this session was that of intro- 
ducing the English practice of balloting for jurors. Clarke had formerly 
recommended it, which was the very reason why it had been sup- 
pressed until now. It was a useful law, although, like many others 
of that decade, expressed ambiguously, and subjected to more than 
one interpretation. The honor of penning it was claimed by both De 
Lancey and Horsemanden, and is supposed to have been the result of a 
joint effort. 

Clarke was never indifferent at any time to the Indian affairs of the 
colony. The Eev. Henry Barclay, 1 afterwards rector of Trinity Church, 
was laboring as a missionary among the Mohawks, and the sachems peti- 
tioned the governor for a new chapel. Clarke invited the attention of the 
Assembly to the subject in vain. The reply he received was that if 

1 Rev. Henry Barclay, D. D., was a native Of Albany, and a graduate of Yale College in 
1734. He received orders in England. Hi- was several years in the Mohawk country, and 
then came to New York. The translation of the liturgy into the Mohawk language was made 
under his direction, and that of Rev. W. Andrews and Rev. J. Ogilvie. Rev. J. Ogilvie suc- 
ceeded him in his mission, and also as rector of Trinity Church. Mr. Barclay died in 1765. 



586 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the Christian converts were increasing among the Indians, the funds 
required for a new chapel should be raised by private contributions. 

An approaching rupture with France was confidently apprehended ; 
hence a grand council of the Confederates was held at Albany for the 
purpose of strengthening these important allies in their regard for the 
people of New York. Clarke urged the chiefs to prevent their young 
men from being enticed to join tribes in the interests of the French. 
" When united," he said, " you are like a strong rope, made of many 
strings and threads twisted together, but when separated are weak and 
easily broken." This council terminated amicably, and the Indians, well 
laden with presents, returned to their homes, professing friendship for 
Corlear (the governor) which was to endure so long as the Great Spirit 
should ciiuse the grass to grow and the water to run. Notwithstanding 
such good resolutions, it was well understood that confidence might be 
placed in these forest kings only while no circumstance awakened their 
slumbering jealousy. 

A short time before, Admiral Sir Peter Warren (then Captain 
Warren) had purchased an immense estate in the Mohawk coun- 
try. He was the younger son of a British naval officer of the ancient and 
honorable family of Warren, in Warrentown, county of Down, Ireland. He 
had been trained to the nautical profession, and in the summer of 1727 
was appointed to the command of the Grafton, one of the four ships of 
the line sent out under Sir George Walton to join Sir Charles Wager, 
then in the Mediterranean command. He was shortly transferred to the 
Solebay frigate, and sent to the West Indies with orders touching upon 
the preliminaries of peace between England and Spain. Eeturning to 
London, he was appointed commander of the Leopard, of fifty guns, which 
position he held until 1735. After the rupture with Spain (in 1741) he 
was in command of the Squirrel, a twenty-gun ship, and afterwards suc- 
cessively of the Launcdon of forty guns, and the Superbe of sixty guns, 
and in 1743 was commodore of a squadron. 

It was during Cosby's administration that he became especially inter- 
ested in New York, and from the time of his marriage with the sister of 
Chief Justice De Lancey, made his home in the city. 

A tour of adventure into the wilderness resulted in a trade with the 
Indians for the tract of land above-named. At his instance the son of his 
sister, William Johnson, — afterwards Sir William Johnson, Bart., — then 
a young man of twenty-three, came to this country to superintend the im- 
provement of this wild property. 1 

1 Sir William Johnson, Bart., was the elder son of Christopher Johnson and Anne Warren, 
of Warrentown, county of Down, Ireland. He was born in 1715. His early education is in- 



SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON. 587 

Young Johnson was the architect of his own fortune and subsequent 
fame. He succeeded from the beginning in winning the confidence and 
affection of the Indians. He formed a settlement upon the estate of his 
uncle ; kept a small country-store ; encouraged trade of every description ; 
rode fifteen miles to mill, with his bag of grain, on horseback; visited the 
sachems in their castles, and the common people, both whites and Indians, 
in their huts ; and mingled in all their rustic sports. He was one of the 
most industrious of men. His style of living was plain, his figure robust 
and commanding, and his bodily health perfect. Warren sent from New 
York and Boston such goods as were chiefly salable, — rum, axes, wrought- 
iroD, etc., — and directed the planting of orchards, which he said would 
not hinder the growth of grass or Indian corn, since the trees should be 
placed at a great distance from each other. He also suggested that fields 
should be laid out in exact squares, with hedge-rows on each side to keep 
the land warm, and please the eye, and that shrubs and flowers should 
be planted for ornament. He directed his nephew to keep well with all 
mankind, act honorably and honestly, refrain from being notional, and to 
lie specially careful to say nothing about the badness of the patroon's 
horses, for it might be taken amiss; adding "he [the patroon of Albany] 
is a near relation of my wife, and may have it in his power very much to 
serve you." 

Erelong Johnson commenced the cultivation of a landed estate of his 
own, and secured a valuable water-power upon which he erected a saw- 
mill. This led to no inattention as far as the affairs of his uncle were 
concerned. He was equal to the management of a multiplicity of enter- 
prises. From a farmer and dealer in furs and small wares, he became an 
extensive merchant, a government contractor, a general in the armies of 
New York, and a baronet of the British realm, with possessions exceeding 
any of the nobles of Europe. He was the hero alike of history and ro- 
mance ; his character has furnished the basis for many a weird tale, and 
has been invested with all manner of ingredients. 1 His peculiar relations 
and influence with the Indians rendered him a tower of strength when 
the French again set about the conquest of New York with iron determi- 
nation ; and his intimate connection with public affairs during the thirty 
years prior to the Eevolution has given him a high place among the per- 

volved in some mystery, but from the invoices of books which he ordered from time to time 
for his private library, through his correspondents in London, and from his correct use of the 
French and Latin language in his correspondence, it is presumed that he received a University 
course of instruction. 

1 Chrysal ; or, The Adventures of a Guinea, by < Iharles Johnson, Vol. III., Book II., Chaps. 
1. 2, 3. The Dutchman's Fireside, by Paulding. The Gipsey, by G. I'. R. .tames. The 
satire in Ohrysal is an exaggeration of the errors in the baronet's life. 



588 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



souages of the period. The massive stone mansion which he erected and 
fortified, was ever afterward known as Johnson Hall. 

At one time a Mohawk chieftain coveted a new scarlet coat trimmed 
with gold lace, which Sir William had just received from London. He 
hesitated only a day or two before calling at Johnson Hall in the familiar 
manner which Johnson had himself inaugurated, and said he had 
" dreamed a dream." He had dreamed that the grand knight gave him 
his fine red coat. Sir William understood the significance of the hint, 
and, in tender consideration of his own popidarity, gave the chieftain the 
much-desired treasure. 

But Sir William presently dreamed a dream. He went to see the chief- 
tain, aud related it to him. He 
had dreamed that the chieftain 
and his council gave him a 
large tract of land, designating 
the boundary with geographi- 
cal precision, from such a tree 
to such a rivulet. The gift 
was made, but the old Indian 
said, " Ugh ! I no dream any 
more. White chief dream 
better than Indian." 

Admiral Sir Peter Warren 
purchased a considerable es- 
tate on Manhattan Island, 
which was called Greenwich. 
He built upon it a country- 
mansion, (which stood for nearly a century,) at about the corner where 
Fourth intersects Perry Street, overlooking the Hudson, and laid out and 
beautified extensive grounds. 

The Indian name of the point of land was Sapokanigan. The mansion, 
which was elegant in its appointments, was afterwards the residence of 
Abraham Van Nest. 

The prevalence of yellow fever in New York was a subject which agi- 
tated men of science all over the country. Dr. Golden had long since re- 
linquished the practice of medicine, except among his immediate friends, 
but his love for the profession induced him to contribute valuable addi- 
tions to the medical literature of the day. He was the first to introduce 
into the country what he called " the cool management " of the small-pox, 
in which he was more successful than any other physician in America. 
In 1742 he made it his special business to study into the features and 




■ Peter Warren's House. 



GOVERNOR CLINTON. 589 

progress of the yellow fever in this latitude, and wrote an interesting 
paper, carefully pointing out local circumstances which increased its vio- 
lence. 1 He recommended remedies which proved efficacious in a multi- 
tude of cases, and sanitary measures which were so prolific in results that 
the Common Council of New York tendered him a vote of thanks. 

A governor for New York had been for some time foreshadowed. 
Clarke's seven years of ride terminated ingloriously. The conces- 
sion by which he allowed the Assembly to prescribe the disposition of 
supplies granted — hitherto the legal prerogative of the crown — appeased 
the popular party only for a short time. The governed are rarely satis- 
fied with concessions ; each successful demand increases the clamor for 
more. It was thus in the experience of the lieutenant-governor. The 
Assembly claimed the right to appoint its own treasurer. As soon as 
this was conceded, there was a strenuous effort made to secure the privi- 
lege of choosing the auditor-general, failing in which, the salary of that 
officer was withheld. And it was with sullen disregard that all of 
Clarke's later speeches urging for appropriations were received. The 
House, for several months prior to the rising of the new sun, accomplished 
little except an Act for securing Oswego, and another providing for the 
ordinary supplies and salaries of the year. And the counselors at the 
same time were quite ready to welcome a new potentate. 2 

Admiral George Clinton arrived. He was accompanied by his wife 
and several children. He was a younger son of the late Earl of 
Lincoln, and had been described as a man of talent and liberality. 
He was cordially received. He landed near the new Battery, and at 
the moment of his placing his foot upon New York soil, the guns of the 
fort, and of the Loo (the vessel which had brought him to these shores) 
spoke loudly and well. He was met by the Council, a fine group of dig- 
nilicil men, and by the mayor and Common Council of the city, the militia, 
and many of the principal citizens. After a ceremonious greeting lie was 
conducted to the governor's house in the fort, the way being lined with sol- 
diers in full dress. After being refreshed with burgundy, champagne, and 
other wines, the distinguished procession moved to the City Hall, where 
his commission as governor of New York was duly published, and the 
usual oaths administered. 

Clinton had spent his life thus far in the navy. He was easy, good- 
natured, unambitious, and given somewhat to high living. He hoped to 

1 Nearly two hundred and fifty persons died of yellow fever in the city during the year 1742. 

- Clarke returned to England with a large fortune acquired in New York, ami pun hased 
a handsome estate in < 'heshire, where he spent the remainder of his life. He had several 
children, hut they made no connections in this country. 



590 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

mend his fortunes. Beyond that he troubled his mind very little about 
the results or length of his administration. He resigned himself to the 
current and drifted along smoothly at first. 

Having learned that the Assembly was under adjournment to meet in 

a few days, and that the great mass of the people would be pleased with 

an opportunity to choose new Assemblymen, he dissolved the body and 

ordered an election. It was conducted for once without tumult. The 

new members convened in November. They voted the governor 

Nov. 8. JO 

a salary of £ 1,560, besides £ 150 for house-rent, £ 400 for fuel 
and candle-light (intended to cover the wants also of the garrison), £ 150 
to enable him to visit the Indians, £800 to be used in presents for the 
Indians, and £ 1,000 as compensation for unsuccessful solicitations at 
court (at the instance of the Assembly) for aid towards rebuilding the 
fort, and obtaining a supply of ammunition. They continued the salary 
of £ 300 to the chief justice, half that sum to Judge Horsemanden, and, 
on motion of Lewis Morris, began the practice of enabling the governor 
and Council to draw upon their treasurer for contingent services, to the 
amount of £60 per annum. This sum was subsequently increased to 
£ 100 per annum. The governor made no objection to their limiting the 
support to a year, and assented to all the bills offered him. 

There was business before the House, the following year, how- 
ever, of vital importance. France had assumed a threatening atti- 
tude towards England. The prospect of rebellion in Scotland, also, called 
for active military preparations ; whatever involved England involved her 
American colonies, particularly New York. 

James III., or Tlie Pretender, who up to this time had lived in France, 
taking advantage of dissensions in Parliament, was trying to create a 
party in his favor, which with the aid of France was expected to subju- 
gate Great Britain. 

To excite loyalty in the minds of the people of this country it was only 
necessary to announce that their civil and religious liberties were in dan- 
ger. Popery was aiming for the throne of England ; this was sufficient in 
itself to absorb all other considerations, and brace the colony into united 
resistance. Lewis Morris, Jr., offered the sentiment, "The most steadfast 
adherence to the king and the Protestant religion," and it was immedi- 
ately adopted by the House. Large sums were given for fortifications, 
£ 3,000 voted towards a mansion-house for the governor, and arrears of 
salary paid to Mr. Barclay, the Mohawk missionary. 

The formal declaration of hostilities was known in New York early in 
July. Everybody was alarmed, for the city was exposed by land 
and by sea. The Council anil the Assembly prepared a joint ad- 



CLINTON AND THE ASSEMBLY. 591 

dress to the king, expressing their abhorrence of the rebellion in Scot- 
land and the popish Pretender. Measures were adopted for the security 
of New York City, and men and means sent to the frontiers, where war 
had actually commenced. Bills passed the House in rapid succession. 
One of these required all persons in the colony to take the oaths pre- 
scribed by Parliament, for the security of the government against the 
Catholic religion; the Quakers were allowed to affirm instead of swearing. 

All at once a communication readied New York from the Com- 
missioners of Indian Affairs, that the enemy were on the war-path ep 
from Canada, and that the English traders had retired in alarm fr< mi < tewew >, 
which was creating a very unfavorable impression upon the minds of the 
Indians, particularly the remote nations, who, on coming a long distance 
to trade, had found the place deserted. It seemed necessary that the posl 
should be maintained on a more ample and efficient basis than ever be- 
fore, as a commanding mart, lest the tribes, disgusted with the want of 
courage manifested by the English, should go over to the French. The 
garrison at Oswego was accordingly reinforced, and large sums of money 
raised to increase the strength of the post and induce the traders to re- 
turn. There was no lack of prompt and efficient action on the part of the 
Assembly. Special allowances were voted for the defense of Albany and 
Schenectady, and £ 3,200 granted for the defense of the colony at large. 

Thus far the Assembly and governor had acted in concert. But when 
New England was all astir making preparations to attack Louisburg, — 
the Gibraltar of America — and Clinton, having received an urgent letter 
from Governor Shirley of Massachusetts, recommending a closer bond of 
union between the colonies in order to the more efficient conduct of the 
war, asked New York to co-operate, he was reminded of the liberality of 
the various appropriations, and told that the taxes of the people were 
already too great, and ought not be increased except for purposes of <L - 
fense; besides, in the estimation of the mass of the community, the eon- 
quest of Canada belonged exclusively to the crown. 

Clinton's speech to the House on the subject was not well received. 
One point in particular irritated certain members beyond measure. A 
bill was before Parliament to prevent the issue of paper currency — hills 
of credit — in the colonies, which from the scope of its two last clauses 
was supposed by many to be a design to compel Assemblymen to obej 
all the orders and instructions of the crown. Money had been sent to two 
gentlemen in London, who were to oppose the bill, and Clinton asked the 
House to refund the same. As it had been raised by persons outside, 
during a legislative recess, the House declined. An address was not even 
vouchsafed the governor, which was contrary to all parliamentary usage, 
and he in turn was offended. 



592 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Henceforth the House assumed a peculiar attitude in respect to Clinton, 
slighting his opinions and recommendations ; it rejected the proposition 
of a guard-ship, intimated a design to lessen the garrison at Oswego, de- 
clined the advice of the Council in relation to appointing commissioners 
to act jointly with those of New England in treating with the Indians, 
voted only a small sum for the New England expedition, and delayed 
making provision for Indian presents. Its greatest misdemeanor, how- 
ever, was in its incivilities to the governor personally, who became so ex- 
asperated in the end, that, after indulging in a severe reprimand, he 
' dissolved the body. He wrote to the Lords of Trade that it was 
astonishing how jealous the men of New York were of the power of the 
king ; they picked flaws with every officer appointed by the crown, and 
gave them salaries or not, just as it suited their pleasure. In his opinion, 
it was impossible for any governor, in the present condition of the public 
mind, to exert the influence requisite to a good government. 

The merchants of New York were active in fitting out privateers at 
their own expense, and brought in many prizes, chiefly of sugars. Ad- 
miral Sir Peter Warren was first in the field, but he refused to pay duties, 
saying such were not demanded in the West Indies, where he had sent 
many prizes. Clinton wrote to the Duke of Newcastle, asking his in- 
terposition with the Commissioners of Customs in favor of waiving duties 
in New York, since it was well to annoy the enemy, and the results 
would be beneficial to the city. 

The Twenty- Fourth Assembly was composed of nearly the same mem- 
bers as the Twenty-Third. David Jones, who was one of the great econo- 
mists of the time, was elected speaker. The culmination of horrors all 
along the northern and northwestern horizon influenced a certain degree 
of liberality in the appropriation of funds for actual defenses. But the 
question of direct taxation produced heart-burnings and discontents. 
The opinion that the crown imposed too heavy a burden upon New York 
in such emergencies grew with each roll of the suns. The governor was 
waiting to meet the chiefs of the Six Nations at Albany, and the House 
loftily provided for his expenses, and for Indian presents to keep the 
fickle warriors in the interests of the English. The Cape Breton expe- 
dition was treated with more favor, and £ 5,000 voted towards its accom- 
plishment. 

The harbor of Louisburg, on the southeastern side of the Island of Cape 
Breton, was considered the key to the American possessions of the French. 
By the treaty of Utrecht, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, including the 
island of Canseau, had fallen to the Crown of Great Britain, and Cape 
Breton had been ceded to the French. The harbor of the latter was con- 



THE CONQUEST OF LOUISBURG. 593 

venient for the reception and security of ships of every burden, — man- 
of-war, and merchant-vessels. It afforded protection to navigation and 
fisheries, as well as great facilities in time of war, for interrupting the 
navigation and fisheries of the enemy. The French had built a fortified 
town — Louisburg — upon the island, which cost twenty -five years of 
labor, and thirty millions of livres. It was called the Dunkirk of 
America. 1 

The neck of land upon which the town was built was two and a cpiar- 
ter miles in circumference ; it was regularly laid out in squares, with 
broad streets lined with houses, chiefly of wood, with a few of stone. On 
the west side was a spacious citadel, on one side of which were the gov- 
ernor's apartments. The ramparts on every side of the town were from 
thirty to thirty-six feet high, with a ditch eight feet wide. Under the 
ramparts were casements to receive the women and children during a 
siege. There were six bastions and three batteries, containing embras- 
ures for one hundred and forty-eight cannon. On an island at the 
entrance of the harbor was planted a battery of thirty twenty-eight 
pounders; and at the bottom of the harbor, directly opposite to the en- 
trance, was a royal battery of twenty-eight forty-two pounders, and two 
eighteen-pounders. On a high cliff opposite to the island battery stood a 
lighthouse ; and within the harbor, on the northeast, a magazine of naval 
stores. 

The entrance to the town, on the land side, was over a drawbridge, 
near to which was a circular battery, mounting sixteen twenty-four 
pounders. 

The reduction of Louisburg was as desirable to the English as that of 
Carthage was to the Romans. Governor Shirley of Massachusetts origi- 
nated the bold project. The British Ministry approved, and ordered 
Admiral Sir Peter Warren, then commodore, to proceed from the West 
Indies northward with his squadron, and co-operate with the movements 
of Shirley. The magnitude of the undertaking, as well as its boldness, 
at first startled the New-Englanders, but they soon caught the fire of 
enthusiasm, and made the necessary grants. Connecticut and Rhode 
Island enlisted in the scheme. The Connecticut division was com- 
manded by Lieutenant-Governor RogeT Wolcott, 2 bearing the commission 

1 Marshall's Colonial History. 

2 The Woleotts were of the old English gentry. Henry Wolcott, one of the fust settlers 
of Connecticut, was the son and heir of John Wolcott, of Golden Manor, in England. The 
manor-house is still standing, an immense castle of great antiquity, designed for the purposes 
of defense against the excesses of a lawless age, as well as for a permanent family residence. 
It is richly ornamented with carved work, and upon the walls may be seen the motto of the 



594 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

of major-general. The commander-in-chief of the expedition was Colo- 
nel William Pepperell, who was raised to the rank of lieutenant-general. 

IVpperell was a popular man, widely known; he possessed culture, 
courage, and coolness. He was of large, powerful, vigorous frame, with 
magnetic face and engaging manners. Before he accepted the command 
he asked advice of the famous preacher, Eev. George Whitfield, who re- 
plied that the affair did not look very promising ; that the eyes of all the 
world would be upon him, and if he did not succeed, the widows and 
orphans of the slain would reproach him, and if he did succeed many 
would regard him with envy and try to eclipse his glory. Whitfield 
finally favored the expedition, furnishing the motto Nil desperandum 
Ghristo dace, for the flag, which gave the whole the air of a crusade, and 
many of the missionary's followers enlisted. One of them, a chaplain, car- 
ried on his shoulder a hatchet with which he intended to destroy the im- 
ages in the French churches. 

Warren assumed command of the naval forces by order of the Admi- 
ralty. The two commanders, Pepperell and Warren, concerted their plans, 
and commenced operations in the early spring of 1745. The result was 
one of the most brilliant achievements of the age. Louisburg fell, and the 
news of the important victory filled America with joy and Europe with 
astonishment. The colonists began to know their own strength, and Eng- 
land was aghast at the development of so much energy and power. Bos- 
ton was illuminated, even to its most obscure alleys, and the night was 
signalized by fire-works and bonfires. All New England observed a day 
of solemn thanksgiving, set apart by the civil authority. 

After the surrender of Louisburg a grand entertainment was given on 
shore by Pepperell, to honor Warren and the various officers of the navy 
who had been instrumental in the capture. Pepperell's chaplain, Eev. 
Mr. Moody, was somewhat prolix in saying grace before meals, and the 

family arms, Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri, — " Inclined to swear in the words 
of no master." It was in keeping with the independent spirit of an English gentleman of the 
Middle Ages, and with that of a Puritan of a later date, who spurned the dictation of ecclesias- 
tical wisdom. Wolcott sold a portion of his estate before he left England. He was a magistrate 
of the Connecticut colony, and his descendants in the direct line were magistrates, judges, and 
governors for over one hundred and eighty successive years. Roger Wolcott was the grand- 
son of Henry Wolcott, and the son of Simon Wolcott and Martha Pitkin. The latter — a 
beautiful, self-reliant young woman — came to Connecticut to persuade her favorite brother, 
the distinguished William Pitkin, to return to England. Tradition says that the wise heads 
of the colony were anxious to retain the brother ; and, charmed with the graces and superior 
accomplishments of the sister, resolved to capture and keep her also. Hence they selected 
Simon Wolcott, the handsomest and most elegant young man in Connecticut, to court and 
marry her. Among her descendants were six governors, and her granddaughter married an- 
other governor. 



ADMIRAL SIR PETER WARREN. 595 

general was particularly anxious on this occasion that he should not fa- 
tigue his guests. Yet he dare not venture the hint of brevity. The chap- 
lain, however, was imbued with the spirit of the occasion, to the supreme 
delight of the officer; his prayer ran thus: "Good Lord, we have so 
much to thank thee for, that time would be infinitely too short to do it in. 
We must therefore leave it for the work of eternity. Bless our hoard 
and fellowship on this joyful occasion, for the sake of Christ our Lord. 
Amen" 

Warren was gazetted rear-admiral of the blue on the same day the 
news of the capitulation reached Loudon, and was afterwards knighted. 
Pepperell was created a baronet, and made a colonel in the British army. 
Governor Shirley and Governor Wentworth were each confirmed in their 
governments. There was a strange reluctance on the part of the crown, 
however, to reimburse the colonies for the heavy expenses which they had 
so nobly and magnanimously incurred, and, by reason of which a conquest 
was effected of such magnitude, it was said, "as to prove an equivalent at 
the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, for all the success of the French upon the 
continent of Europe." 1 The claim was prosecuted several years before 
Parliament could lie brought to sanction an appropriation for its payment. 
The grant was finally obtained in 1749, amounting to £183,049. It was 
received in Boston the same year, and equitably divided among the colo- 
nies which had incurred the expenditure. 2 

The autumn of 1745 witnessed the destruction of Saratoga. A party 
of French and Indians from Crown Point surprised the settlement, 
bmned the fort and other buildings, massacred more than thirty 
families, and carried many persons into captivity. The country was un- 
covered to the very city of Albany, and the utmost consternation pre- 
vailed. The northern settlers fled from their homes with their wives and 
little ones, and complained loudly of the neglect of the government in 
providing for their safety. General dissatisfaction prevailed. 

Now was Clinton's turn to be avenged. He had repeatedly urged the 
building of a fortress in the desolated region, and he reproached the House 
so sharply for its inattention to his requisitions, that, suppressing resent- 
ment and wrath, a resolution was adopted, to concur in every reasonable 
measure for the safety of the province, the assistance of the distressed, and 

1 Belknap. Douglass. Mass. Trails., Vol. I. Pepperell's Letters. 

2 The exact sum was £183,649 25 s. 7h d. The agent who prosecuted the claim encountered 
difficulties at every step. His name was William Bollan. The money was in specie. It 
consisted, according to a note in Holms, of two hundred and fifteen chests (three thousand 
piei es of eight, on an average, in each chest") of milled pieces of eight, ami on.- hundred casks 
of coined copper. There were seventeen cart and truck loads of the silver, and about ten 
truck-loads of copper. .)/"«. Hist. Coll. 



596 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

in any well-concerted plan for distressing the enemy. Rewards were 
offered for scalps, bills passed for raising scouting-parties, erecting re- 
doubts, and furnishing and transporting detachments and provisions to all 
Indian allies. But fresh demands accumulated, and every advance of 
money created a quarrel among the members, often relating to the parti- 
tion of the general burden among the counties, and was granted under 
protest. 

It was about this time that the Rev. Samuel Buel, D. D., commenced 
his fifty years' pastorate. He was called to the church of Easthampton, 
Long Island, through the recommendation of Rev. Aaron Burr of Newark. 
He had been a pupil of Rev. Jonathan Edwards, and had married the 
granddaughter of Rev. John Williams of Deerfield. He was a small-sized, 
active, cheerful, resolute man, of profound scholarship and enthusiastic 
piety. He was fond of society, of the chase, was gifted in anecdote, and 
his ready wit was the delight of his associates. 1 

1 The daughter (Jerasha) of Dr. Buel was married December 15, 1766, to David Gardiner, 
the sixth lord of the manor of Gardiner's Island. After the marriage ceremony the clergyman 
was congratulated by some of his people upon the honorable wedding. " Yes," he replied, 
" I always wished to give my daughter to the Lord." Dr. Buel remained at his post during 
the Revolution. He made no effort to conceal his Whig principles, but his pleasantry, po- 
liteness, and tact secured him the friendship of the British officers quartered at Easthampton. 
He often dined with them. At one time he had been invited by Sir William Erskine 
to accompany them on a deer-hunt, and was behind time at the hour appointed. The 
younger officers, impatient of delay, had mounted when he was seen approaching. Sir Wil- 
liam required them to dismount and receive the clergyman. Lord Percy was irritated that 
such deference should be shown " an old rebel," and when introduced was ungracious. Dr. 
Buel inquired what division of the army he had the honor to command. " A legion of devils 
just from hell!" was the ill-natured reply. " Ah, then," said the clergyman, with a low 
bow, "/ suppose I liave tlie honor to address Beelzebub the prince of devils." Although the 
retort was so keenly felt that the young nobleman's hand touched his sword (a movement 
instantly checked by Sir William), he was captivated by the wit and brilliant humor of the 
minister long before the chase was ended, and subsequently became one of his warmest ad- 
mirers. On another occasion Sir William met Dr. Buel and remarked that he had ordered 
the people of his parish to appear the next day (Sunday) at Southampton witli their teams. 
" I know you have," responded the clergyman, " but I am commander-in-chief on that day, 
and have annulled your order." The precedence was pleasantly admitted, and the order 
revoked. Dr. Buel was the immediate successor in the church of Rev. Nathaniel Hunting, 
who succeeded Rev. Thomas James, the first minister of the town, in 1650. 



PHILIP LIVINGSTON. 597 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

1745-1755. 

PHILIP LIVINGSTON. 

Philip Livingston. — Philip Livingston's Sons. — William Livingston. — Philip Liv- 
ingston's Daughters. — Philip Livingston's Death. — John Rutherford. — The 
Indian Conference of October, 1745. — Frederick Philipse. — The Philipse 
Family. — Philipse Manor. — Mary Philipse. — Clinton and the Assembly. — 
Preparations for the Canadian Campaign. — Indian Conference of 1746. — Hor- 
rors of War. — Chief Justice De Lancey. — Dr. Golden. — Violent Contests. — 
New York under Discipline. — A Glimpse of New York in 1752. — The Odd Wed- 
ding. — Key. Aaron Burr. — Sir Danvers Osborne. — Statesmanship of Lieu- 
tenant-Governor De Lancey. — The Albany Congress. — King's College. — Wil- 
liam Livingston. — The Great Feud. — New York Society Library. — Governor 
Sir Charles Hardy. — The French War. — General Braddock. — Washington. 
— War. — Acadia. — Hon. John Watts. — The Watts Estate. — The Watts Man- 
sion. — Archibald Kennedy. — No 1 Broadway. 

PHILIP LIVINGSTON (the second lord of the manor) was one of 
the counselors. He exercised his delegated authority only upon 
special occasions, however, as he spent the greater portion of the year in 
his elegant manor-house. In all conferences with the Indians his presence 
was esteemed indispensable. He had been Secretary of Indian Affairs 
for nearly a fourth of a century, and was conversant with whatever con- 
cerned their relations with the people of the province. At an interview 
with the sachems of the Six Nations, in the autumn of 1745, he opposed 
the governor's scheme for reducing Crown Point, giving reasons which 
occasioned a personal exchange of incivilities by no means flattering to 
either party ; at the same time a few Mohawk warriors complained that 
Livingston had obtained a patent for a large tract of land in their country 
which had never been bought or paid for, although Indian names were 
attached to the documents. Clinton censured Livingston, while the 
latter declared that the transaction was conducted in the same manner as 
all former transactions of the kind, onty the Indians had since quarrelled 
among themselves, and denied the right of the old chief (now deceased) 
to negotiate sales. He' said such difficulties were constantly arising. 



598 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

The young warriors, as soon as their fathers were gone, looked around to 
see what had been done, and grumbled if they happened to covet what 
their sires had sold. The governors of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and 
Pennsylvania were present at this meeting. It was feared that the Six 
Nations would revolt and go over to the enemy, and every effort was 
made to enlist them in the British interest. Clinton thought Livingston 
should relinquish his claim to the contested property, and Livingston 
thought the British government must be getting feeble if the officers 
recently engrafted upon New York were a sample of its governing mate- 
rial ; he considered himself entitled to protection. 

Philip Livingston supported three princely establishments, — one in New 
York City, one in Albany, and his manor-house. He lived in a style of 
courtly magnificence. He was now sixty years of age. His brother 
Robert (somewhat younger than himself) built the large stone house at 
Clermont, (sketch, page 319) and was residing there with his family, of 
which the future Judge Eobert R. Livingston — the father of the dis- 
tinguished Chancellor Livingston — was one of the most conspicuous 
members. He, Robert R. Livingston, was now twenty-six, and had been 
married about three years to Margaret Beekman, the daughter of Colonel 
Henry Beekman and Gertrude Van Cortlandt, and granddaughter, on her 
mother's side, of Robert, nephew of the first lord of the manor, and 
Margaretta Schuyler (only daughter of Hon. Peter Schuyler). They had 
a large famliy, of whom more presently. 

Philip Livingston's six sons were already assuming the tasks and respon- 
sibilities of active life. Robert succeeded to the manor, and was the last 
lord, the Revolution breaking the entail. Peter Van Brugh, Philip, John, 
William, and Henry were all educated at Yale. Peter Van Brugh Liv- 
ingston went into mercantile speculations on an extensive scale, married 
Mary, the daughter of James Alexander, and built a handsome house 
on Prince Street ; he was subsequently president of the New York Con- 
gress. Philip became a prominent merchant, erected a stone mansion on 
Duke Street, and a charming villa on Brooklyn Heights. He signed the 
Declaration of Independence. John was also a merchant; he married 
Catharine, the daughter of Hon. Abraham De Peyster, the treasurer of the 
province from 1721 to 1767, and one of the richest magnates of his time. 
They lived pretentiously on Queen Street near the De Peyster homestead. 
William was the pet and protege of his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Van 
Brugh, and passed much of his boyhood with her in Albany. Before he was 
fourteen years old he had spent an entire year among the Mohawks, under 
the care of an English missionary. The language and habits of the Indians 
were esteemed an essential part of his education, as the proper measures 



WILLIAM LIVINGSTON. 599 

to be pursued in regard to the French and Indians was the chief subject 
of colonial vigilance and apprehension. This was from L736 to L737. 
He was graduated from Yale, at the head of his class, in 1741, and 
studied law in the office of James Alexander. He was an apt scholar, 
and, through the vigor and quickness of his perceptions, took marvelous 
strides in legal knowledge One day Ins father questioned him as to how 
he spent his evenings. " Never fear for my morals," he replied. " I am 
plodding at mathematics and astronomy every night until after nine 
o'clock." He married Susanna French, the granddaughter of Lieutenant- 
Governor Anthony Brockholls, and the great-granddaughter of the first 
lord of Philipse Manor. He became the celebrated war-governor of New 
Jersey. Henry was an exteusive ship-owner ami importer, and he also 
built himself a residence in New York City. 

Philip Livingston's three daughters were brilliant and accomplished 
women. Sarah married William Alexander, — Lord Stirling, — the son 
of James Alexander. Alida married Henry Hawson, and, after his death, 
Martin Hoffman. Catharine married John L. Lawrence. 1 

Among the counselors who attended the governor during his conference 
with the Indians in Albany, were Joseph Murray ami John Rutherford. 
The latter was a new-comer, but a man of rank and learning. He was 
appointed by the Lords across the water, and Clinton was annoyed. He 
had in his mind one or two native New-Yorkers whom lie wished to 
serve, and urgently requested that the appointment of Rutherford might 
be revoked. He did not accomplish his point, but he did make an enemy 
of the gentleman in question. Four hundred and sixty-tour Indians 
marched into Albany the night before the conference opened. Forty- 
three sachems called on the governor and his party about six o'clock. 
They were each treated to a glass of rum, and, after an exchange of 
courtesies, departed to partake of the supper prepared for them by the 
mayor and citizens of Albany. The subject of an aggressive campaign into 
Canada, with the help of the Indians, was discussed during this conference 
without specific results. The treaty was renewed with the Mohawks, and 
the commissioners from the other colonies urged united effort in the matter 

1 Philip Livingston died in 1749. His funeral services were conducted in the must — - 1 : 1 1 . Iv 

and ceremonious manner. His city mansion in Broad Street, New York, and most of the 
houses in the block, were thrown open to accommodate the vast assemblage. A pipe <>l wine 
was spiced for the occasion, and to each of the eight bearers were given a pair of gloves, a 
scarf, a handkerchief, a mourning-ring, and a monkey spoon. The obsequies were repeated al 
the manor with increased formalities. In addition to similar gifts to the hearers, as in the 
city, gloves and handkerchiefs were presented t.i . : i, h of the tenants. The expenses were 
enormous. William, his fifth son, was struck with the absurdity of the custom, and subse- 
quently wrote a caustic article on "extravagance a1 funerals." 



GOO 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



of repelling the cruel invasions of the enemy. It was evident there could 
be no permanent repose until the French power was crushed in America. 
But Clinton was at variance with his counselors, and the assistance of the 
Indians was doubtful ; several of the elder chiefs manifested marked dis- 
inclination to pledge themselves to any belligerent action, until after a 
grand councd of their warriors at Onondaga. 




Portrait of Mary Philipse. 

Upon his return to New York the governor stopped a few days at Phil- 
ipse Manor. Frederick Philipse, the second lord, had recently expanded 
the great old-fashioned roomy manor-house (the present City Hall of 
Yonkers, on the Hudson) into thrice its former size, by the addition of the 
elegant eastern front, with its regiment of windows, and two entrances, 
each ornamented with eight columns and corresponding pilasters. Among 
the horse-chestnuts and garden-terraces which skirted the velvety lawn 
between the mansion and Locust Hill, crept the Albany and New York 
post-road. Cultivated European tastes were everywhere distinguishable in 
the arrangement of the grounds and parks ; and immense gardens, through 
which stretched graveled walks bordered with box, delighted the eye with 
a wealth of shrubs and flowers rarely excelled in this or any other coun- 
try, or age. The greensward sloped gradually and smoothly to the river 
on the west. The roof of the edifice was surmounted by a heavy line of 
balustrade, forming a terrace, which commanded an extensive view. 



PHIUPSE MANOR-HALL. b'Ol 

The contrast from the scene as it appeared at the same point, when the 
ancient structure, fronting the south, was first erected in 1682, was striking 
indeed. It arose in the midst of a picturesque wild. To the north and 
east were wooded hills, vales, thorny dells, rocky steeps, and fenceless pas- 
tures; to the south was a mad and musical creek rushing down through 
a narrow ravine, and fretting and foaming over Dutch mill-dams in its 
way, until it often upset them altogether ; and to the west was the broad 
Hudson, with its opposite bank of feldspar and augite, and its waters un- 
ruffled, save by an occasional sloop and a few paddle-boats. To-day fin 
1876) the ambitious city of Yonkers covers the romantic site, extruding 
six miles along the river by three miles or more inland. And in its very 
heart stands the pioneer manor-house, a curious mixture of Dutch and 
English architecture, having externally undergone no special alteration. 1 

The interior of the new part was elaborately finished. The walls were 
wainscoted, and the ceilings were in arabesque work. Marble mantels 
were imported from England. The main halls of entrance were about 
fourteen feet wide, and the superb staircases, with their mahogany 
hand-rails and balusters were proportionally broad, and gave an air of 
grandeur to the premises. The dormitories for the fifty or more house- 
hold servants were in the gable roof. 

The present lord of the manor had never been hampered by any of the 
cares which attend the accumulation of property. His whole life was 
spent in the enjoyment of it. His mother was an accomplished English- 
woman, the daughter of Governor Sparks of Barbadoes. 2 He had been 

1 In 1779 the Legislature of New York declared Frederick Philipse, the third lord of the 
manor, attainted of treason, and the manor confiscated. In 1784 the State offered it for sale 
in tracts to suit purchasers. The manor-house and lands adjoining were bought by Cornelius 
P. Low of New York, and became the rallying-spot for the village of Yonkers. Low did 
not occupy the mansion, but sold it again. Prior to 1813 it had had many owners. Then 
it fell into the hands of Lemuel Wells, who lived in it twenty-nine years. He died childless 
and intestate, and, leaving no will, his estate was divided among sixteen heirs. Again the 
building had an uneasy and changeful proprietorship, until about eight years ago, when it was 
purchased by the corporation of Yonkers, fur a ( ity Hall. It was necessary to alter the geog- 
raphy of the northern portion of the interior in order to provide space fur a modern court- 
room. But good sense was displayed in tin' manner of its accomplishment, and, although 
the boundary lines of former centuries were obliterated in that particular part, yet the south- 
western apartments have been carefully shielded from modern innovation, and in their an- 
tique garments are among the last links wdiich connect us with the remote period of tomahawks 
and scalping-knives. 

2 Frederick Philipse, the first lord of the manor, was born about 1626, at Bolswaert in 
Friesland. He married, in 1662, Margaret Hardenbrook, the widow of Peter Rudolphus De 
Vries, who had one child, Eve, at the time of her marriage with Philipse, and who was 
adopted by Philipse as his own. After the death of this lady, Philipse married (in 1692) 
Catharine, daughter of Oloff S. Van Cortlandt, and widow of John Derval. Philipse died in 
1702. His children were, Eve (as above), Philip, Adolphe, and Annetje. Eve married Jaco- 



602 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

thoroughly educated under her immediate supervision, and had spent 
much of his early life in Europe. He married an English wife, Joanna, 
the daughter of Lieutenant-Governor Anthony Brockholls. He presided 
over his tenants and serfs like a right royal old feudal sovereign. He 
occupied in person the hench of the court-leet and court-baron of the 
manor (courts which were held in a building that stood on the site of the 
present Getty House in Yonkers), and took cognizance of criminal matters, 
administering justice and not infrequently capital punishment. He 
feasted his tenants on the two great rent-days, — one at Yonkers and the 
other at Sleepy Hollow. In lieu of rent, a couple of fat hens or a day's 
work was often received. The farmers near the river paid higher rates, 
from being guaranteed greater privileges. 

The city establishment of Philipse was as pretentious as the manor- 
hall, and it was where the courtly aristocracy of the province were wont 
to meet in gay and joyous throng. Philipse was polished in his manners, 
hospitable, generous, cordial, manly. He had little taste for politics, and 
yet he mixed somewhat in public life. He represented Philipseborough 
for many years in the Assembly, and he was for a long period the baron 
and second judge of the Exchequer. Notwithstanding his Dutch ancestry 
on his father's side he was ardently attached to the Church of England. 
It was through the provisions in his will that St. John's Church in Yon- 
kers was afterwards erected by the family ; a glebe of two hundred and 
fifty acres of excellent land was also appropriated to the use of the 
church, and a parsonage built for the minister. 1 

bus Van Cortlandt, the younger brother of her step-mother ; Annetje married Philip French. 
Adolphe never married. Philip, the elder son, went to Barbadoes, where he married the daughter 
of i rovernor Sparks. He died some two years before his father, leaving an only son, Freder- 
ick, who subsequently became the second lord of the manor. Long Island Hist. Soc. Coll., 
Vol. I. 362, 365. Mrs. Catharine Van Cortlandt Philipse lived more than a quarter of a 
century after her husband's death. She was chiefly instrumental (in 1699) in building the 
church at Sleepy Hollow, nearly opposite < !astle Philipse, which was done at the expense of 
herself and husband ; it is now supposed to be the oldest church edifice in the State. While 
superintending the work, she was in the habit of riding up from the city on horseback, 
mounted on a pillion behind her favorite brother, Jacobus Van Cortlandt. See page 305. 

1 Frederick Philipse, the second lord of the manor, died in 1751. The first minister called 
to St. John's Church was Rev. Harry Munro, a man of ability and learning, a fine classical 
scholar, and versed in French, Italian, Hebrew, and Erse ; while his theological attainments 
were exceptionally good. He was the son of Robert Munro, of Dingwall, near Inverness, 
Scotland, who was great-grandson of Sir Robert Munro, twenty-fourth Baron of Fowlis, 
and third Baronet by his first wife. He came to this country (in 1757) as chaplain of one 
of the regiments specially raised for service in the colonies against the French. He was with 
the expedition against Fort Duquesne (Pittsburg), and he was present at the taking of Ticon- 
deroga and Crown Point. He was with the army until 1762. He went to Yonkers about 
1765. He married for his third wife (March 31, 1766) Eve, daughter of Peter Jay and Mary 
Vail Cortlandt (Mary Van Cortlandt was the daughter of Jacobus Van Cortlandt and Eye 



FREDERICK PHILIPSE. 603 

His children received every advantage in the way of instruction which it 
was in the power of wealthy parents to bestow. His elder son, Frederick 
(who became the third and last lord of the manor), was graduated at 
King's College in New York. He grew up an ardent Churchman, and 
opened his purse generously to all charitable purposes. His tastes were 
literary. He took very little part in public affairs, although he was a 
member of the Assembly for several years. He was known as a scholarly 
gentleman of the old school and an ornament in polite society. He lived 
in a style of magnificence exceeding all of his predecessors. The manor- 
house was furnished anew, and on every side there was costly and showy 
display. His wife was an imperious woman of fashion. It is said that 
it was her pride to appear upon the roads of Westchester, skillfully 
reining four splendid jet-black steeds with her own hands. She was 
killed by a fall from her carriage a short time before the Revolution 
Her husband was one of those who tried to maintain so strict a neutrality 
in the commencement of the great struggle as to protect his property. 
But he failed. He was at heart a loyalist, and had no faith in the success 
of the American arms. He was very soon suspected of favoring the 
British, and compelled to seek safety in the city until the end of the war. 
He was, however, at the manor-hall until after the battle of White 
Plains, and Washington and his generals spent several nights under his 
terraced roof. It is said Washington occupied the southwestern cham- 
ber. It is an immense room, and has an old-fashioned Dutch fireplace 
with jambs about three feet deep, faced in blue and white tile, bearing 
scriptural illustrations and appropriate references. The chimney (now 
almost two hundred years old) is of peculiarly quaint construction, ami has 
a secret passage-way from this apartment to some underground retreat. 
the object of which can only be conjectured. The bricks of which it was 
built were imported from Holland. 

Philipse (the second lord) had three lovely and accomplished daughters, 
of whom Susan married Colonel Beverly Robinson, the son of Hon. John 
Robinson of Virginia, the president of that colony on the retirement of 
Governor Gooch. The bride received a handsome estate from her father, 
on the Hudson, opposite West Point, where, in 1750, they erected a ro- 
mantic dwelling for a summer home. It was fashioned according to tin- 
prevailing style of country-seats in England at that period; its entrance- 

Philipse), and sister of Sir James Jay (M. I).) and Chief Justice John Jay. Their only child 
was Peter Jay Munro, the celebrated lawyer ; he married Margaret, daughter of Henry White 
and Eve Van Cortlandt (Eve Van C'ortlandt was the daughter of Frederick Van Cortlandt and 
Frances Jay, and granddaughter of Jacobus Van Cortlandt), and of his daughters Frances be- 
came the wife of Bishop De Lancey, Harriet of Augustus Frederick Van Cortlandt, and Ann 
of Elias Desbrosses Hunter. — New York I'lnifulmiinil ami Jliiyrn/ihiat/ Record, IV. 123. 



604 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

hall was immensely broad, and its apartments stately, although the ceil- 
ings were low. The carving and the tiles were of unique pattern. Gar- 
dens, lawns, fruit-orchards, highly cultivated fields, and great deer-parks 
soon surrounded the home of the military scholar, and, in deference to the 
family of his mother, the bride named the estate " Beverly." It was for 
the next twenty-five years the abode of a generous and courtly hospitality. 
Eobinson was a major in the British army, under General Wolfe, and 
fought with heroic courage on the Plains of Abraham. When the Revo- 
lutionary controversy commenced, he opposed the measures of the Minis- 
try, gave up the use of imported merchandise, and clad himself and his 
family in fabrics of domestic manufacture. But he opposed also the 
separation of the colonies from the mother country. He was not a native- 
born citizen of America. He was a retired officer of the king's forces, 
liable to be called upon at any time in case of war. His idea of a sol- 
dier's first duty was obedience to superior authority. Hence, although he 
greatly desired to take a neutral part when hostilities broke out, the con- 
trary pressure was so strong that he yielded, and removed his family to 
his city mansion, whence they took refuge in Great Britain at the close 
of the war. 1 His immense estate was confiscated by the Legislature of 
the State, and sold. 

Mary Philipse, the younger sister of Mrs. Eobinson, was born at the 
manor-house in 1730. She was the brilliant young lady who captivated 
Washington, when he was the guest of Colonel Eobinson at the New York 
mansion of the latter, in 1756, while on his horseback journey from Vir- 
ginia to Boston. Whether the stylish Virginia colonel was backward about 
coming forward, or whether he was actually rejected by the beautiful 
belle, will ever remain a question. Colonel Eoger Morris was the favored 
suitor, and shortly afterward the fashion, the rank, the beauty, and the 
scholarship of the capital were assembled at the manor-hall in Yonkers 
to celebrate the bridal. Morris had been a fellow-soldier with Washing- 

1 The children of Colonel Beverly Robinson all attained distinction. Beverly was Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel in the British army, and settled at St. John's, New Brunswick, where he lie- 
came President of the Royal Council. He died in New York City in 1816. John was a mem- 
ber of the Royal Council, and treasurer of New Brunswick ; also mayor of St. Johns, and 
president of the first bank ever chartered in that colony. Sir Frederick passed through all 
the gradations of army rank, commanded a brigade at the battle of Vittoria, at the siege of 
St. Sebastian, and at the passage of the Nievre ; he was commander-in-chief of the Canadian 
forces in the War of 1812, and was appointed governor of Upper Canada in 1815, at the same 
time receiving the order of knighthood. He was afterwards advanced to the Order of the 
Bath. He visited Beverly in his mature manhood, and is said to have shed tears while 
regarding with profound admiration the beauties which encompassed his birthplace. Sir 
William Henry was knighted by the king for valuable services rendered to the English 'gov- 
ernment. His wife was the daughter of Cortlandt Skinner of New Jersey. 



COLONEL ROGER MO Hit IS. 



605 



ton on the field of Monongahela, where Braddock fell, in the summer of 
1755. He built, shortly after his marriage, the fine old mansion at One 
Hundred and Sixty-ninth Street, which was the residence (until her death 
in 1865) of the widow of Aaron Burr, Vice-President of the United States, 
known as Madame Jumel. It was surrounded by highly ornamented 
grounds, and its situation, from its commanding view of the Harlem River 
at High Bridge, to Long Island Sound and beyond, was one of the finest 
and most attractive mi Manhattan Island. Morris adhered to the crown 
alter the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and when, in the autumn 
of that year, the American army under Washington encamped upon Har- 
lem Heights and occupied Fort Washington, he tied to Beverly for safety, 
and Washington made the handsome Morris mansion his headquarters for 




a time. The estate of Adolphe I'hilipse reverted at his death U > his nephew, 
the second lord of the manor. At the death of the latter the land in Put- 
nam County was divided between his younger children. The part around 
and including Lake Mahopac fell to Mary (Philipse), Mrs. Roger Morris. 
She was in the habit of visiting her tenants in that region semi-yearly, up 
to the time of the Revolution, and was very much beloved by them. She 
occupied the little log-house of her great-uncle at first ; but she finally 
caused to be erected a much larger and better structure of logs, where she 
passed several weeks every season. This log-house is still in existence, a 



606 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

frame-house having been built around it. It is occupied by a man so 
aged that he can distinctly remember when boats could sail from the 
Hudson River through Canal Street, in New York City, to the Fresh 
Water Pond in Centre Street. It is near the famous "Red Mill," which 
was built by the Philipse tenants in 1745, some giving timber, some 
boards, and some labor, as it was esteemed of great importance to have a 
place to grind the grain which was raised in this remote country. The 
loft of the mill was used as a church for many years, and Mrs. Morris al- 
ways attended divine service there whenever on a visit to her tenants. 
During the Revolution the mill was converted into a storehouse for the 
American army, and Mrs. Morris's log-house was more than once occu- 
pied by Washington, and was the scene of many tragic events. 

A slice of the Philipse estate bordering upon the Harlem River (ex- 
tending towards Yonkers) had been conveyed by the first lord of the 
manor to Jacobus Van Cortlandt, 1 the husband of his eldest daughter, Eve. 

1 Oloff S. Van Cortlandt (the first Van Cortlandt in this country) was married to Ann, the 
sister of Govert Loockermans, in the Dutch Church, New York, February 26, 1642. Their 
children were, 1, Stephanus, born 1643, married Gertrude Schuyler ; 2, Maria, married Jere- 
mias Van Rensselaer ; 3, John, died unmarried ; 4, Sophia, married Andrew Teller ; 5, Cath- 
arine, married John Derval, afterwards Frederick Philipse ; 6, Cornelia, married Brandt 
Schuyler ; 7, Jacobus, born 1658, married Eve Philipse. 

Stephanus Van Cortlandt and Gertrude Schuyler's children were, 1, John, married Anne 
Sophia Van Schaack, and left an only daughter, Gertrude, who married Philip Verplanck ; 
2, Anne, who married Stephen De Lancey ; 3, Margaret, who married Samuel Bayard ; I, 
Oliver, who died unmarried ; 5, Maria, who married Kilian Van Rensselaer, the fourth pa- 
troon of Rensselaerswick, and the first grantee of the manor under the English patent in 1704 ; 
6, Gertrude, died young ; 7, Philip, married Catharine De Pcyster ; 8, Stephanus, married 
Catalina Staats ; 9, Gertrude, married Colonel Henry Beekman ; 10, Gysbert, died unmarried ; 
11, Elizabeth, died young ; 12, Elizabeth (born 1694), married Rev. William Skinner, the first 
rector of St. Peter's Church, Perth Amboy. His true name was McGregor ; he was one of the 
clan proscribed for supporting the Old Pretender in 1715. He changed his name, came to 
America, and became an Episcopal clergyman. His oldest son was Cortlandt Skinner, 
whose daughter married Sir William Henry Robinson, of "Beverly" ; his youngest son, 
William Skinner, married bis cousin, Susan, daughter of Admiral Sir Peter Warren and Susan 
De Lancey ; 13, Catharine, married Andrew Johnston, second son of Dr. John Johnston, 
speaker of the New Jersey Assembly ami member of the governor's council of New Jersey. 
14, Cornelia (born 1698), married Colonel John Schuyler, the son of John Schuyler, the 
younger brother of Hon. Peter Schuyler. Colonel John Schuyler and Cornelia Van Cortlandt 
were the parents of the celebrated General Philip Schuyler of the American Revolution. 

Jacobus Van Cortlandt (the ancestor of the. Van Cortlandts of Yonkers, the youngest 
branch of the Van Cortlandt family) and Eve Philipse's children were, Margaret, married 
Abraham De Peyster, Jr., Treasurer of New York province forty-six years ; Anne, married 
Judge John Chambers ; Mary, married Peter Jay ; and Frederick married Frances Jay. 

Philip Van Cortlandt (who lived at the manor) and Catharine De Peyster's children 
were, 1, Stephen (born in 1711), married Mary Walton Ricketts ; 2, Abraham, died unmar- 
ried ; 3, Philip, died unmarried ; 4, John, died unmarried ; 5, Pierre (born 1721), first lieu- 
tenant-governor of New York as a State, and ancestor of the present Van Cortlandts of Cort- 



CLINTON AND THE ASSEMBLY. 607 

The great substantial country-bouse, now standing, was built upon this 
property in 1748, by Frederick Van Cortlandt, who had married Frances 
Jay. 1 

It was a weary drive from Kingsbridge to the city, the roads not being 
cared for in the best manner, and Clinton was overtaken on bis wintry 
journey (it was late in the autumn) by a driving northeastern storm of 
sleet and rain, which occasioned an attack of rheumatic gout from which 
he did not recover for months. His family were sick at the same time, 
and he wrote dolorous accounts of the general health of the people to his 
friends in England, which created an unfavorable impression concerning 
the climate of New York. Fevers had indeed prevailed to an alarming ex- 
tent during the season, also the small-pox. But an old certificate, signed 
in the presence of the justices of the peace — Gerardus Stuyvesant, 
William Roome, Simon Johnson, John Marshall, and Stephen Van Cort- 
landt — by the physicians of New York, shows that about the middle of 
October the sickness had materially abated. The names of those who 
were practicing medicine in the city, in 1745, were Doctors Archibald 
Fisher, William Beekman, Isaac Du Bois, Boelof Kiersted, John Van 
Bueren, E. B. Kemmena, Abraham Van Vleck, William Heweot, William 
Blake, David Hay, Alexander Moore, William Brownjohn, and Joseph 
Burning. 

The House was in session when the governor arrived, and although in 
great bodily suffering be reported the demand made upon New York for 
assistance by the other colonies, and the temper of the Indians. He 
recommended the raising of money for building forts along the frontiers, 
for equipping a guard-ship to defend the coast, for fitting out an expedi- 
tion against Crown Point, for providing provisions for the Oswego gar- 
rison, for more money to strengthen the hands of the commissioners, for 
the punctual payment of the militia, ami for a thousand and one contin- 
gent expenses. 

The response was slow and measured. Why must so weighty a bur- 
den be borne by New York ? The members of the Assembly were 
nearly all rich men, and consequently large tax-payers. The bleeding 
process was becoming painful. England ought to come to the rescue. 

landt Manor, married Joanna Livingston ; 6, Catharine (born in 1725), was killed by the 
bursting of a cannon at the Battery. 

1 The children of Frederick Van Cortlandt and Frances Jay were, James, married Elizabeth 
Cuyler ; Frederick, died unmarried ; Augustus, married Helen Barclay ; Ann, married Na- 
thaniel Marston, afterwards Augustus Van Home ; Eve, married Henry White. 

Augustus Van Cortlandt and Helen Barclay's children were-, Ann, who married hei cousin, 
Henry White, the son of Henry White and Eve Van Cortlandt ; and Helen, who married 
James Morris of Morrisania. 



608 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Clinton wrote to the Lords that the Assembly was extremely backward 
in promoting any public good; he said: "While so many Dutch prevail in 
the province, I can have but little hopes of succeeding in any enterprise, 
though ever so well concerted, unless they are compelled to do their duty 
more cheerfully by a superior power." He intimated that the Dutch of 
Albany wanted to maintain neutrality with the French savages for pur- 
poses of trade, and actually exchanged ammunition with them for skins 
while the same wretches were murdering the New England people in the 
most shocking manner. He charged Philip Livingston, in particular, with 
having been engaged in the nefarious business. He urged the British 
Ministry to take cognizance of the " disobedience and indolence of the 
New York Assembly." 

In the spring Clinton begged to be allowed to return to Eng- 
land for the recovery of his health. His hearing and eyesight 
were very much impaired, and he had lost strength and flesh. One of 
his children had died, and a son, who had been afflicted with fever and 
ague for ten months, had already sailed for Europe. The Assembly 
treated him with disrespect, and the counselors were ill-natured. The 
government was not likely to fill his purse, and he was heartily disgusted 
with New York. 

But he did not obtain relief just then. The proceedings of the French 
were such as to create wide-spread alarm throughout the colonies, and 
the absolute necessity of energetic warfare became clear to every mind. 
Governors Shirley of Massachusetts, Wolcott of Connecticut, Morris of 
New Jersey, and others, were in constant communication with Clinton, 
and each other, and a gigantic project was maturing. Each colony had 
petitioned the crown for help, and the promise of help finally came. 

Meanwhile Governor Lewis Morris finished his earthly career at the 
advanced age of seventy-three. He was interred, according to his direc- 
tions in the family vault at Morrisania. The funeral cortege left Trenton 
on the 26th of May, and reached Amboy the same evening, where 
a small vessel was in waiting, which conveyed the remains to 
Morrisania. The pall-bearers were Chief Justice De Lancey, James 
Alexander, William Smith, Abraham De Peyster (the treasurer), Joseph 
Murray, Robert Walters, David Clarkson, and Lewis Johnston. The 
last rites were performed by Rev. Dr. Standard, rector of the parish of 
Westchester. 

Governor Morris had directed, among other things, some time before his 
death, that his remains should be placed in a plain coffin, without cover- 
ing or lining; and he had prohibited tin' giving of rings or scarfs at his 
funeral, or the wearing of mourning garments by any of his family on 



FUNERAL OF GOVERNOR LEWIS MORRIS. 609 

his account, as it was an unnecessary expense, which the indigent would 
attempt to imitate. He ordered, also, that im man should be paid for 
preaching a funeral sermon for him, hut if any one, churchman, dissenting 
minister, or otherwise, felt inclined to say anything on the occasion he 
should have no objection. 1 

With the joyful tidings that the king approved of the aggressive 
measures against the French, and that the colonial forces would be 
joined by regular troops from England, the Assembly smiled with exul- 
tation. Impecuniosity gave way to generous impulses. A grand effort 
was made to further the important design. Bounties were raised for 
volunteers, and large sums were appropriated to purchase ammunition, 
provisions, etc. For immediate convenience there was a new emission of 
paper money. 

Stephen Bayard and Edward Holland from the Council were deputed 
to superintend the building of a fleet of bateaux, which was esteemed 
essential for the navigation of Lakes George and Chainplain. The)' re- 
ported, <>n the 6th of July, that the naval architects refused to work under 
pretense of prior engagements, whereupon the House enacted a law au- 
thorizing the impressment into the public service of all artificers, and 
their servants, whose assistance might be required, together with horses, 
wagons, and anything else needful for the success of the enterprise. 

The Assembly hesitated at nothing until it came to the providing of 
equipments, provisions, and transportation of military stores for the 
Indian service, and then it firmly refused to advance money to the crown, 
even upon loan, prefering to raise the same by bills of exchange. A 
grand council was about to be convened at Albany for the common 
benefit of all the exposed colonies, and the members of the House could 
see no reason why each colony should not contribute towards the heavy 
expenses lor presents, clothing, arms, and subsistence for the savage 
allies, — who always fought for honor, scouting the idea of going upon the 
war-path for pay, and yet must have incentives to action upon a liberal 
scale. 

'flic session closed on the 15th of July, but not until a joint 

•' July 15. 

congratulatory address from the two Houses had been voted 

to the king. The committee from the Upper House who prepared the 

1 From tin' Diary "I Judge Lewis Morris (the governor's son), under date of May 30, the 
following is extracted : "Sent back tin- chaises to Harlem that we borrowed forthe burial. 

There was one quarter cask of wine expended at tin' h ral, to aboul two dozen bottles, and 

about two gallons of rum, a barrel of cider ami two barrels "I beer*" Bolton's WestchesU r. 
Papers of Governor Lewis Morris. New Jersey Historical Collections. Governor Lewis 
Morris donated the timber for the building of Trinity Church, and the vestry granted tie' 
family a square pew. 

39 



CIO HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

document were, Philip Livingston, Chief Justice De Lancey, and Judge 
Horsemanden. 

It was now midsummer, and the colonies were ready for immediate 
action. The militia had left their ripening harvests, and with 
their muskets loaded, were awaiting the order of march. But 
neither troops nor other aid had arrived from across the water ; not even 
a message of encouragement. The inaction of the parent government, 
from which much had been promised and more expected, was re- 
garded with dismay. Its co-operation was absolutely essential to the 
execution of the vast scheme in progress, and the fiery ambition with 
which the provinces had hurried their preparations in order to accomplish 
grand and hoped-for results before winter, resolved into deep chagrin. 

Clinton, however, proceeded, according to arrangement, to meet the Six- 
Nations in Albany. He was at loggerheads with his counselors, and 
only three of them could be induced to accompany him on this mission, 
— Philip Livingston, Dr. Colden, and John Eutherford. And of these 
Livingston and Eutherford were sworn personal foes. But Livingston 
was deeply interested in transactions of whatever nature with the In- 
dians, and Major Eutherford was already in Albany on military duty. 
To Clinton's great surprise there were no Indians in Albany to meet him, 
except two straggling Ouondagas and one Oneida warrior ! They brought 
as trophies two French scalps, which they said they had taken at noonday 
within sight of the French fort at Crown Point. The leader of the three 
made a speech to the governor, after which he was rewarded for his 
bravery with a fine laced coat and hat, a silver breastplate, and a new 
name, — Path-opener. Each of his companions received four Spanish 
dollars, a blanket, and a laced hat. The reports from the messengers who 
had been sent to invite the Six Nations to the council were so discour- 
aging that Path-opener, proud of his distinction, volunteered upon an 
embassy to bring the Indians to Albany. 

Other scouts came, reporting large numbers of French and Indians 
at Crown Point, and at various points. Sixteen Mohawks sent to 
reconnoitre the works of the enemy by Sir William Johnson, brought 
the unpleasant intelligence that the French were making extensive prepa- 
rations to attack Schenectady, and the other white settlements in the Mo- 
hawk Valley, and probably Albany, and that there was an appearance of 
some private understanding between the Six Nations and the French In- 
dians about Montreal. Sir William wrote to the governor that there were 
serious grounds for alarm ; that the white settlers, for twenty miles above 
him and below Schenectady ; had fled from the country, and that his own 
property — of which he named eleven thousand bushels of wheat and other 



SIB WILLIAM JOHNSON AND THE INDIANS. till 

grain — was in jeopardy. Clinton sent a detachment of thirty men to 
his assistance, and a militia company to the upper Mohawk castle for the 
protection of the Indians. To increase the embarrassment of the gov- 
ernor, news came from Shirley that the Atlantic seaboard was threatened 
by a French invasion. 

For nearly a month the prospect of procuring a general attendance of 
Indians was far from flattering. The temper of the Six Nations was bad. 
The war, they said, was between the English ami French ; it was none of 
their quarrel. If they began to tight there was no rest for them until 
either they or their foes were swept from off the face of the earth. " The 
treacherous rascals!" exclaimed Golden, "I have no doubt that some 
of the chiefs have already pledged themselves to the crafty Jesuit eccle- 
siastics." 

Golden started at once for the Mohawk castles, where he had spent 
some time twenty years before, and been adopted into their clan and in- 
vested with an Indian name, and with the assistance of the Rev. Mr. 
Barclay, at last persuaded three of the sachems who had been on a visit 
to the governor of Canada, to sustain the cause of the English. At the 
same time, Sir William Johnson, by request of Clinton, was laboring with 
the other chiefs. He assumed their dress, painted himself, feasted them, 
set them to teaching him how to dance their war-dances, and entered 
into all their athletic exercises and games. The savages were flattered, and 
adopted him as their war-chief. When they finally consented to go to 
Albany, a political feud arose among themselves, and they separated, one 
party marching on one side of the river and the other on the opposite 
side. As they neared Albany, Johnson put himself at their head, dressed, 
painted, arid plumed, as required by the dignity of his rank as Indian 
chieftain. When they passed the Albany fort, salutes were exchanged, 
the Indians firing their muskets and the fort its artillery. Johnson and 
the sachems were afterwards received in the great hall of the fortress, and 
served with wine and other refreshments. 

All sorts of private maneuvering with individual chiefs was found ne- 
cessary to induce them to declare war against the French. 1 It was a 
critical moment indeed. There were many difficulties to be ad- 
justed before the opening of the Council. Meantime Clinton had 
been attacked by fever, and the duty of conducting the conference de- 
volved upon Golden. Commissioners from Massachusetts were present, also 

1 The Indian Chiefs were admonished that they must guard against the treacherous wiles 
of the French priests, and told that their friends, the English, were now going to wipe away 
the sorrowful tears of the Six Nations ; and some of the chiefs replied, that their blood 
boiled at the way in which they hail been treated by the wicked priests, and that henceforth 
they should have no further use for them, only for roasting. 



612 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the Commissioners of Indian Affairs, and the mayor and corporation of 
Albany ; among the latter were Myndert Schuyler, Cornelius Cuyler, 
Nicholas Bleecker, Stevanus Groesbeeck, and John l)e Peyster. 1 Colden 
delivered an eloquent and carefully prepared speech, explaining the mar- 
velous feats which the English were about to perform, and at the end of 
each sentence one of the chiefs called out, " yo-hay, — Do you hear?" 
and a low guttural of approbation came from the whole assemblage. 
When Colden took his seat the war-belt was thrown down, and the sig- 
nificant act was followed by a war-shout. Three days afterward the 
sachems responded satisfactorily ; and in the course of two or three 

Aug 24 

days, presents had been lavishly distributed, the war-dance had 
been performed in the presence of the governor and other distinguished 
gentlemen, — the warriors all painted, — and appropriate songs had closed 
the entertainment. The Indians started for their homes in fine spirits, 
but the small-pox broke out among them on the journey, and many died, 
among whom were two energetic chiefs who had promised to enlist the far 
Indians in favor of the English. 

Clinton remained in Albany a month longer, and conferred with the 
Stockbridge, the Susquehanna, and other tribes of Indians. In the mean 
time the savages in the French service kept the New England frontier 
and the eastern border of New York, in one continuous state of alarm ; 
houses and barns were burned, and fields reddened with blood. The most 
conspicuous demonstration of the enemy during the season was about the 
middle of August, wben a force of regular troops and Indians, numbering 
over nine hundred, descended upon Fort Massachusetts, the bulwark of 
the Berkshire Hills and the headquarters of Colonel Ephraim Williams, 
the commander of the posts in that region. The fort stood in a long low 
meadow, commanded by heights in every direction. Its site is now des- 
ignated by a lone tree, and is about half-way between the beautiful towns 
of Williamstown — the seat of Williams College, which was founded by 
Colonel Ephraim Williams — and North Adams. The fort was unfavora- 
bly situated for defense, and the little garrison, consisting of only eleven 
men able to do duty (eleven were sick), under John Hawks, were lam- 
entably short of ammunition. Indeed, Thomas Williams, with thirteen 

1 .IhIiti De Peyster was the grandson of Johannes De Peyster, born in New York January 
14, 1694. He married Anne Schuyler, and settled in Albany. He had two daughters, Anne, 
who married Volkert P. Donow, and Rachel, who married Tobias Ten Eyck. He was Re- 
corder of the city of Albany from 1716 to 1728, and mayor from 1729 to 1732. In 1734 he 
became one of the Commissioners of Indian Affairs ; he was subsequently a contractor witli 
the government to supply Oswego and other outposts with stores, and, in 1755, was one 
of the commissioners for paying the forces in the expedition in which Johnson defeated 
Dieskau. 



BIS A PPOINTMENT. 6 1 o 

men, had just started on a secret tour through the wilderness' to Deertield, 
for supplies— Colonel Williams himself was at Albany with the greater 
part of his soldiers, under orders to march with the expedition to conquer 
Canada. The little land of eleven resisted the nine hundred as long 
as a spoonful of powder was left in the fort ; the defense was one of 
the most gallant affairs, of its magnitude, on record. Hawks surrendered, 
finally, to the French commander, M. Vaudreuil, who offered honorable 
terms of capitulation ; the latter laughed dryly when he found his prison- 
ers numbered only eight effective men, — three having been killed during 
the siege, — but he and his officers treated the gallant young sergeant as 
brave men are prone to treat the brave. The Indians, however, were irri- 
tated at the smallness of the booty, and butchered all the sick and infirm, 
and set fire to the fort; 1 the remainder of the prisoners, including two 
women, and several children, were carried to Crown Point, and from thence 
to Canada. Sir William Gooch, governor of Virginia, had been commis- 
sioned by the crown to command the Canadian expedition, and had de- 
clined; hence Clinton was in actual command of the forces gathered a1 
Albany. He was severely censured for his negligence in not having em- 
ployed rangers to scour the forests and watch the motions of the enemy, 
when it was discovered that so large a force had been led through the 
country, and actually besieged Fort Massachusetts for over forty-eight 
hours, within forty miles of Albany, without the fact being known until 
some time after the invaders had retired. There was more than one 
among the counselors and legislators who attributed it to peuuriousness, 
and some were so bold as to say that the money which should have been 
expended in such service went into the private purse of the governor. 

All this time no news came from Boston or from England. The sum- 
mer had passed away, and of course the best season for active military 
operations against Crown Point and Canada. Disappointment settled 
like a pall over Albany. Finally letters came from General Shirley and 
from Admiral Sir Peter Warren. New England was absorbed in the de- 
fense of the coasts, and England had failed in every engagement. No 
fleet, no troops, no Sir John Sinclair, to lead the colonies on to victory. 
It only remained for New York to prepare winter quarters for the soldiers, 
and adopt plans for guarding against the murderous attacks of the foe. 

1 Colonel Williams rebuilt Fort Massachusetts the next year ; he was attacked, while so do- 
ing, by a large party of the enemy, who came with the intention of hindering his operations, 
but were repulsed with heavy loss. In 1748 it was the scene of another sharp fight. After 
the peace of that year was concluded at Aix-la-Chapelle, the General Court "I Massachusetts 
granted to Colonel Williams a large tract of land in that vicinity. On the commencement of 
hostilities in 1755, he was ordered with his command to join Sir William Johnson, and fell 
in the attack upon Dieskau near Lake George. 



614 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Clinton did not get on well with the Indian commissioners. He was 
surly and they were opinionated. His policy differed from their no- 
tions. He was unyielding, and several of them declined to attend the 
council. He finally displaced Colonel Schuyler (the son of Hon. Peter 
Schuyler), and placed Sir William Johnson at the head of the Indian 
Department. 

He returned to New York early in October. He found the As- 

Oct. 14. 

sembly ripe for a quarrel. There was talk about gross misman- 
agement on the part of the governor, and Golden was criticised for 
the part he had taken in conducting affairs with the Indians. Clinton 
was indisposed, and, instead of opening the session in person, sent 
for the speaker, and through him transmitted a copy of his mes- 
sage to the House. This procedure was voted irregular and unprece- 
dented. The message itself created a tempest. It called for subsistence 
for the winter encampment at Albany, and for larger appropriations in 
every direction. It contained subtle hints relative to distrusts that were 
being fomented by artful, designing men ; and admonitions to the effect 
that one branch of the government should not wantonly encroach upon 
the prerogatives of other branches of the government. 

Frederick Philipse, Judge Lewis Morris, David Clarkson, Henry Cru- 
ger, and Colonel Schuyler were the committee to draft a reply. They 
said that larger appropriations had been voted already than even the king 
had expected. They disapproved of the winter encampment, as the sol- 
diers could not be made comfortable in Albany, and sickness and deser- 
tion would inevitably follow. They proposed to enter upon a full inves- 
tigation of the Indian branch of the public service as soon as the papers 
and documents relating to it should be placed before the Assembly, and 
until then no larger sum than usual would be voted for that department. 
" lest tJtere he further misconduct." They threw back into the governor's 
face the insinuations respecting the influence of artful and designing men, 
by remarking, pointedly, that if such persons had been infusing distrust 
into his Excellency's mind, they must have sinister ends in view, and 
could be no friends to the country. As for encroaching upon the preroga- 
tives of others they designed nothing of the kind ; the troubles which had 
hitherto arisen in the colony had resulted from the bad advice given by 
designing men to the governors, and not from any wanton stretch of power 
by the people. They referred to the recent vote of the sum of £6,500 
for the subsistence of the troops at Albany, and, in addition to the civil 
list, of the provision for paying the deficient bounty-money. Beyond that, 
" the circumstances of the colony (of which they were the most competent 
judges) would not suffer them to take one step further." 



CHIEF JUSTICE DE LANCEY. 615 

Chief Justice l)e Lancey, in whom Clinton had reposed greal confi- 
'dence during the first years of his administration. 1 was now the active 
head of the opposition. De Lancey had disapproved of Clinton's deter- 
mination to demand an independent support for a term of years in place 
of the annual provision accorded by the Assembly. He bad given 
vigorous advice upon other subjects which Clinton swallowed ungra- 
ciously. Certain members of the Council holding different opinions from 
the chief justice privately counseled the governor to maintain the dignity 
of his station, and not allow an inferior to domineer over him. 

One day Clinton and De Lancey were dining together, and grew very 
warm over the discussion of some of the vexed questions of state. De 
Lancey insisted upon a favorite point with an imperious air. ami Clin- 
ton, losing all patience, declared that he should not be driven. He. 
Lancey retorted that he would make the administration uneasy for bis 
Excellency in the future, and took his leave. Clinton's parting words 
were, "You may do your worst." And the two were never afterwards 
reconciled. 

No man in New York prior to the Revolution wielded greater influ- 
ence than Chief Justice De Lancey. He was an intellectual giant. 
His breadth of knowledge, culture, magnetic presence, vivacity, wit, 
condescension to inferiors, and charming good-nature made lam a, general 
favorite with all classes. But, extremely affable as be was under ordinary 
circumstances, — when it was his humor, — he was haughty and over- 
bearing whenever he was thwarted in bis purposes, and his anger was 
tierce and unrelenting. He could not with grace tolerate opinions differ- 
ing from his own; implicit and unreasoning acquiescence in bis views 
was the price of his friendship; and to such friends he knit himself with 
hooks of steel ; there was no service in his power he would not render 
them, and they served him with a zeal which indicated the marvelous 
strength of his nature. His bearing was princely. He would have been 
pointed out in any promiscuous assembly as a man born to command. 
His enormous wealth rendered him an object of interest to the multi- 
tude. They pinued their faith to his honesty, because be could have no 
possible motive for stealing the public money. He was not a foreign 
invader seeking to enrich himself with the surplus earnings of the hard- 
working pioneers of the country. He was their friend and champion. 
His snow-white horses and gilded chariot with outriders in handsome 
livery excited no envy : bis grand old mansion on Broadway and his still 

1 Clinton presented De Lancey, of his own accord, a new commission of chief justice for 
life, dated September 14, 1744, in place <>l his I. .nun one, the tenure of which was only 
" during pleasure." 



616 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

more elegant country-seat were objects of pride to the inhabitants of the 
city. The latter was on the Bowery road above Grand Street. The 
house stood in the rear of the block between Rivington and De Lancey 
Streets. It was a broad stately brick building, three stories high, expensive- 
ly furnished, and contained a generous and well-chosen library ; the walls 
of the apartments were embellished with choice works of art, and it was 
otherwise invested with the refined tastes of him who built and beautified 
it. An avenue shaded on either side by handsome trees, which in sum- 
mer time formed a leafy arch overhead, led from the mansion to the 
Bowery Road. The estate spread over an incredible number of acres. 
The map of the same, sketched by De Lancey while lieutenant-governor 
of New York, and perfected by his son, James De Lancey, illustrates the 
symmetry of his plans in regard to the future laying out of streets. 1 The 
attractive square which appears on the map disappeared when the prop- 
erty was confiscated by the State, and sold in lots to suit purchasers. 

Colden, henceforward, became the governor's confidential adviser and 
staunch supporter. He, no less than De Lancey, was a man of genius 
and power. Indeed, his erudition quite surpassed the age in which he 
lived, and the brilliant qualities of his mind shone like the sun among 
stars. 2 He possessed sound judgment, and was honored and respected by 
the community at large. He was a small, high-shouldered, plain-faced 
man, with few personal graces, but his iron will was fully equal to that 
of his brilliant rival. Indeed, while unlike in almost every respect 
except irritability of temper, the two formidable adversaries were well 
matched. 

James Alexander and William Smith, who had been formerly so valiant 
in the popular interest, were now squared about, as it were, for they had 
never been on cordial terms with the chief justice since the Zenger trial. 3 
They stood by Colden, and Colden managed Clinton. 

' Copied through the courtesy of Edward F. De Lancey. 

2 Colden was a physician, a botanist, an astronomer, and a historian. 

3 James Alexander resided the greater part of the year at his country-seat— li is 
" plentifull estate," as Clinton termed it in writing to the Duke of Newcastle— in New 
Jersey, near Perth Amboy. That he should have failed in meeting regularly with the 
council in New York is no matter of surprise, when we consider what were the traveling 
facilities at that date. A ' * stage- wagon " crossed New Jersey between New Brunswick 
and Trenton once a week as early as 1742 (and even before), which appears from a 
humorous complaint of Governor Morris", about the mode in which a box of beer bot- 
tles had been sent him : " Whereas at new York it was first landed, then carted up 
the Broad-way, then down again to the water side, then put on board a boat to New 
Brunswick, and then carted thirty miles to this place." In 1744, arrangements were 
made for the " stage- wagon " to run twice a week ; and in 1750, a new line was estab- 
lished, connecting New York with Philadelphia by the same route, with a " stage-boat." 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 617 

Meantime the I" use became intensely excited over the news that the 
high sheriff of Albany, by order of Colonel Roberts, 1 an officer of one of 
the independent companies, had broken open the storehouses in that city, 
and taken into custody a large quantity of provisions for the soldiers. 
Colden himselt had sanctioned the act, after in vain trying to induce the 
commissioners to obey the direct orders "f the governor, and issue sup- 
plies for the hungry troops. The House at once adopted a resolution 
approving of the conduct of the commissioners ; and another declaring 
both Roberts and the high sheriff guilty of a high misdemeanor; and 
several others, among which was one declaring Dr. Colden guilty of high 

In the announcement the proprietor states that passages are made in forty-eight 
hours less time than by any other line ; but he dors not state how long it requires to 
accomplish the whole journey from New York to Philadelphia. The following year, 
the enterprise having proved successful, lie again advertises his fast line, and promises 
to "endeavor to use people in the best manner, and not keep them more than live 
days on the way." This stirred the Philadelphians into brisk competition, and a 
"stage-wagon with a good awning" began to run between " Crooked Billet AY har t " 
and " Amboy Ferry," where a passage boat with a "fine, commodious cabin, fitted up 
with a tea-table, and sundry other conveniences," conveyed the passenger to the me- 
tropolis. It was not until 1765. that the traveler was able to go from New York to 
Philadelphia in three days. The vehicle then used was a covered Jersey wagon with- 
out springs, and was called the "Flying Machine." The roads were rough, and in 
many instances, particularly in swampy places, were but a mere causeway of logs with 
gravel thrown over them. Commissioners were appointed to survey and straighten 
the New Jersey roads in 1765, hoping to shorten the distance between the cities some 
twelve or fifteen miles; but they found obstacles which were difficult to overcome 
Col. John Schuyler, of Belleville, is said to have constructed tie- first road over the 
flats between Newark and New York. Brissot de Warville, the French traveler, in 
1 774, speaks of this highway as a marvelous work. "All the way to Newark (nine 
miles) is a marshy country," he says. " intersected with rivers ; at two miles we cross 
a cedar swamp, at three miles we intersect the road leading to Bergen, a Dutch town on 
our right, at five miles we cross the Hackensack River, and finally we cross the Pas- 
saic River (coachee and all) in a scaul by means of pulling a rope fastened on the op- 
posite side." Of the road itself, he writes, "It. is built wholly of wood, with much 
labor and perseverance, in the midst of water, on a soil that trembles under your feet, 
and proves to what point may be carried the patience of man who is determined to 
conquer nature ! " The Duke de Rochefoucault traveled over this road, improved, in 
1795, and describes it as " very disagreeable to the traveler, and difficult for carriages. 
being so narrow in some places as not to admit of passing, and extremely rough. It 
is constructed of trees having their branches cut away, disposed longitudinally, one 
beside another, and slightly covered with earth." — Whitt h< ml 

' Colonel Roberts was " Cornet of Horse " at the accession of George I. and was con- 
nected by his first marriage to the Earl of Halifax. His second wife was the daughter of 
Francis Harrison, the counselor at New York. Clinton placed high value upon his 
services, and recommended him to the favor of the king, because he hazarded his life 
in many instances for the good of New York, the Governor of Canada having offered a 
large reward for his scalp. 



618 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

misdemeanor, for attempting by threats to influence officers appointed by 
law to violate their duty ; and another declining to vote any further 
supplies until an effectual stop should be put to such proceedings, and 
demanding that the governor shoidd direct the attorney-general to prose- 
cute the delinquents. 

It was a peculiar controversy. Each party seemed to feel abundantly 
justified in its course; and each seemed determined to embarrass the 
other. The governor explained to the Assembly the necessities of the 
case, and asked for the future that provisions might be delivered to the 
army agreeably to the existing engagements of the Assembly, in which 
event nothing which had happened would ever be repeated. He also 
pledged that all possible care should be taken of the provisions, and exact 
accounts rendered. 

There was a lull after this, although the better state of feeling 
had not been reached. Towards the close of the session Chief 
Justice De Lancey called the attention of both Houses to a pamphlet 
which had fallen into his hands, giving an account of the late conference 
with the Indians at Albany, which he said was a misrepresentation of 
facts, and a reflection upon the absent counselors ; he moved that the 
printer be ordered to appear and confess the author's name. Dr. Golden 
was in the speaker's chair, and at once stated that he wrote the pamphlet 
and caused it to be printed, but that he had no intention of casting any 
reflections upon the other gentlemen. In spite of his apologies, the 
majority condemned the offensive paragraphs, and passed a resolution 
that the pamphlet contained odious misrepresentations. Colden told 
Clinton (who was not present) that the occurrence was an entire surprise 
to him, and that the gentlemen were all lawyers, and prepared with set 
speeches, while he was not ready to respond in a proper manner. He 
was accused of having told the world in print that he was the next man 
to the governor in the government; and the governor was cautioned 
against "one of those artful and designing persons who had private 
views." 

While Clinton had been in Albany, the members of the Council who 
had refused to accompany him had held meetings and transacted busi- 
ness in New York without consulting his Excellency; they had even 
issued orders to the militia, and corresponded with the neighboring 
governors, under the style of the Council of the Province. Clinton was 
humiliated and annoyed, but he was not a master spirit, and if he had 
been, it is doubtful whether he could have controlled the conflicting 
elements. The chief men in the two branches of the Legislature were in 
harmony, and the Assembly had become more arrogant than ever. The 



VIOLENT COLLISIONS. 619 

governor's blunders were freely commented upon in private circles as 
well as public places. His want of skill in the art of fortification, as 
exhibited in the city defenses, was a subject of caustic criticism and 
much merriment. His love of case was styled "laziness." He spent 
much of his time at his country-seat in Flushing, Long island, entertain- 
ing visitors, who partook of his g 1 dinners, and played billiards with 

his lady. 1 He was really very much out of health. But that fact 
elicited little sympathy. "Give him plenty of wine and Golden, and be 
will get well fast enough," said Judge Horsemanden. "How would it do 
to prescribe a few grains of sense ?" asked Colonel Schuyler. " Deadly 
poison, I assure you; he has never been accustomed to such diet," was the 
quick retort. 

Clinton poured his woes into the ears of Governor Shirley of Massa- 
chusetts, and argued against the legislative principle in his letters to 
the Lords of Trade. He said the Assembly was seeking power and would 
eventually assume the administration, it' the crown did not interfere and 
sustain its officers; it meddled with military as well as civil affairs, and 
took upon itself to pass judgment upon what the crown should or should 
not do. He said that all the minutes and messages of the Assembly 
were drafted by Horsemanden, with the advice of Chief Justice De 
Lancey, and one or two others. He wished to remove De Lancey from 
the Council, but it would be of no use while he was chief justice of the 
province ; would the Lords have the kindness to deprive him of the chief- 
justiceship, so that his power might be extinguished ? As for Horse- 
manden he could no longer be tolerated. And during subsequent hostili- 
ties between Clinton and the Legislature, Horsemanden was suspended 
from all his offices. James Alexander was appointed to the Council in 
his stead; and not far from the same time Stephen Bayard was super- 
seded as counselor by Brandt Schuyler. 

The winter ended, as it commenced, in unprofitable quarrels and ag- 
gravating personalities. The spring opened inauspiciously for New 
York. The governor demanded more money and more respect- 
ful treatment, and intimated his belief that the opulent men of Albany, 
who had accumulated their riches by trade with Canada, were desirous 
of preserving the neutrality of the Six Nations, and had actually counte- 
nanced the introduction of Eoman Catholic emissaries into the colony for 
treasonable purposes. The troops who had been in service through the 

1 Mrs. Clinton was greatly superior to her husband ; she is spoken of as " an ambitious 
woman with a clear intellect and strong will." Smith; Dunlap. Her son Henry, the Brit- 
ish general who figured so conspicuously in the Revolutionary War, inherited her prominent 
traits of character. 



620 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

winter were clamorous for their pay ; the officers at Saratoga were fearful 
that they would desert in a body. Many had already deserted, and there 
was serious talk, all along the frontier stations, of niutiueering in a body 
and paying themselves by the plunder of the city and county of Albany. 
The Assembly declared there had been a large embezzlement of the funds 
provided for Indian presents in 1745, — £1,000 having been voted, and less 
than £300 worth of goods having reached their destination, — and that 
there had been much needless expense incurred in the erection of fortifi- 
cations for the want of competent engineers. Individuals had profited 
largely through the appropriations in all branches of the service. Money 
voted for the building of a chain of block houses had been diverted to the 
subsistence of detachments of militia posted by the governor upon the 
frontiers, without consultation with the Assembly. The other exposed 
colonies had an equal interest with New York in building and sustaining 
those defenses, and should contribute to the expense, and whenever they 
were found ready to co-operate in the work of mutual protection the 
House would vote additional sums as far as might be judged necessary. 
The imputation against the people of Albany was resented ; the governor 
had been misled in his opinions by " men of wrong heads and worse 
hearts, who were screening themselves behind the curtain," and intrigu- 
ing with the people and the Indians to create difficulties which would 
advance their " own private views." 

This response to the governor's message was prepared by a committee 
chosen by the House for the purpose, consisting of David Clark- 
' son, Cornelius Van Home, Paul Richard, Henry Cruger, Freder- 
ick Philipse, John Thomas, Lewis Morris, David Pierson, and William 
Smith, with nearly all of whom the reader has hitherto made the acquaint- 
ance. 

Clinton replied tartly, and adjourned the House for a week. When it 
reassembled, he called attention again to the distractions at the North. 
Money must be raised to pay the troops in full. The House referred to a 
letter from the Duke of Newcastle, of the preceding year, which authorized 
preparations for the Canadian expedition with an assurance that officers, 
as well as rank and file, were to be taken into his Majesty's pay. The 
governor had the means of paying the forces in his own hands, and if he 
refused, and harm came to the lives and estates of the people of New 
York, he alone would be to blame. 

The refractory little Parliament met only to adjourn until nearly the 
middle of August. Meanwhile, the commissioners, entrenched behind 
a law of the governor's own making, woidd not obey his orders, ami the 
soldiers were mutinous. Clinton replenished his exchequer with bills of 



SIB WILLIAM JOHNSON. 621 

exchange, and went to Albany to try to straighten matters. The forces 
were deplorably diminished by sickness and desertion. Thirty-eight who 
had run away in a body had been fired upon by the officers at Esopus and 
arrested. The country north of Albany was infested with the enemy. 
Murders were of daily occurrence, and the victims to this terrible border- 
warfare were not left to the enjoyment of a moment's security or re- 
pose. They were compelled to fortify their houses by night, and go armed 
to their work in the fields by day. Saratoga, was constantly harassed, 
and Albany threatened. 

Sir William Johnson was indefatigable in his efforts to keep the Six 
Nations in good temper. They were disgusted with the inactivity of the 
English, and fretted over what they termed lack of courage in not destroy- 
ing Crown Point, thus opening a passage to Canada. "Let us go up 
there." they said, "and we will not leave a soul alive." Johnson wrote 
to Clinton, under date of August 4, 1747, that he could hardly get time to 
lay pen to paper, as his house and every one of his outhouses were con- 
tinually full of Indians from all nations; he was obliged to sit in council 
with them five and six hours each day, listening to their complaints, and 
answering their questions. The Iroquois had brought in many of the 
far tribes to form treaties, and they were ready to tight ; but if the Eng- 
lish did not begin soon, they threatened to make peace with the French 
for themselves. Johnson said he might do gi-eat service with those men 
if he only had the opportunity. But he was leading a miserable life 
among them, occasioned by so many disappointments, and they were 
thinking worse and worse of the English government. 

Shirley, notwithstanding the neglect of the Ministry and the enormous 
difficulties in the way, was energetically at work trying to push forward 
an attack upon Crown Point, as the only method of checking the devasta- 
tions of the enemy. He wrote to Clinton, urging unity of action in the 
colonies ; and Clinton upon his return to New York placed the letter 
with a message before the Assembly. But the lack of confidence in the 
execution of the scheme, together with bickerings about the exact quotas 
from the different colonies, and the portion of the expense to be borne by 
the crown, delayed definite action. October came finally, and it was too 
late in the season to invade Canada, even if the other colonies had been 
ready. 

Sir William Johnson about the same time appeared in New York to 
discuss Indian affairs. He said the warriors had been detained from hunt- 
ing for a whole year, by direction of the governor, and were consequently 
in a state of destitution, — actually suffering for necessaries for themselves 
and their families. Measures must be taken for their relief, else he must 



622 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

leave his Mohawk settlement, arid his removal would be the signal for a 
general flight of the people of the valley. Forts should be erected in their 
country to inspire them with confidence; this latter was of the first im- 
portance. A number of sachems accompanied Johnson to the metropolis, 
and awaited developments. 

The subject was discussed at great length, also plans for an expedition 
against Crown Point in the early spring, the forces to rendezvous at 
Albany by the 15th of April. Shirley thought an application should be 
made to the crown to send a large fleet into the St. Lawrence to attack 
Quebec at the same time. In the event of a refusal on the part of the 
parent government, the colonies should create a diversion themselves by 
fitting out such a fleet as they could with their own merchant vessels, to act 
in concert with ships of war which might be cruising near the American 
coast. Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut should enter into a 
compact to march to the assistance of either, in case of an invasion ; and 
the rest of the colonies should be invited to aid. 

Clinton comprehended the scheme in an elaborate message to the As- 
sembly, asking for a speedy reply. It came. It consisted of a long 
string of resolutions. The House voted cheerfully for whatever was es- 
sential to the Canadian invasion, for the defense of the hundreds of miles of 
frontier during the intervening winter, for generous and satisfactory pres- 
ents to the Indian chiefs, who were present in the city, and for their suf- 
fering comrades at home ; but significant allusion was made to the gov- 
ernor's drafts upon the crown during the past summer, which were supposed 
to have been for the Indian service, and had never been heard from, and 
therefore the sums which were now raised would be placed in the 
hands of proper persons for disbursement. Forts would be built in the 
Indian country only on condition that the other colonies shared the ex- 
penses. 

The impeachment of executive integrity was too much for Clinton. 
In great wrath he informed the gentlemen he should receive nothing from 
them foreign to his message, and which did not relate to the preservation 
of the frontiers and the fidelity of the Indians. The effect of his laconic 
retort was similar to that of throwing a lighted torch into a magazine of 
gunpowder. The Assembly closed its doors, locked them, and laid the 
key upon the table in the ancient form, when grave matters were to be 
considered. A series of resolutions were adopted, declaring it to be the 
right and privilege of the House to proceed upon all proper subjects, in 
such order, method, and manner as should by the members be esteemed 
most convenient; that the declaration of the governor that he should re- 
ceive nothing from the House at that time but what had been recom- 



THE GOVERNOR'S GUESTS. 625 

mended in his message was irregular and unprecedented, tending to the 
subversion of the rights, liberties, and privileges of the House and the 
people; and that whoever had advised that message had attempted to 
undermine those rights and privileges, and to subvert the constitution 
of the colony, and was, moreover, " an enemy to its inhabitants." 

The resolutions were followed immediately by a lengthy address or 
remonstrance, reported by David Clarkson, who was chairman of the 
committee appointed to review the subject. It was read to the House 
and approved. The speaker, David Jones, signed it, and a committee, 
consisting of Clarkson, Philipse, Thomas, Cruger, Beekman, and Cham- 
bers, were chosen to present it to the governor. They went to his house, 
and, knocking at the outer door, told the servant who attended that they 
had a message. He disappeared and presently returned accompanied by 
a gentleman, who showed them into the presence "I the governor. His 
Excellency received them politely, but, when they told him that they 
had come as a committee of the House with a remonstrance, which the 
chairman would read to him, he refused to hear it read, or to have it left 
upon his table, upon the ground that such a procedure without the pres- 
ence of the speaker was unparliamentary. 

Another message came swiftly to the House from the governor. He 
taunted the gentlemen for what he styled the farce of locking the door and 
laying the key with solemn force upon the table, and inquired ironically if 
there were suspicious people outside the doors attempting to break in, or 
if their own members were inclined to run away ? The act must have been 
to give the appearance of shutting him out, which was a high insult to royal 
authority. They were putting on airs ; and their assumption was virtually 
a denial of subjection to the crown and Parliament. He warned them of 
a power that was able to punish them, or any other legislative body, when 
it became criminal in the eye of the law. He vindicated his own con- 
duct from the beginning of the controversy, denied any misapplication 
of money, and reviewed at length the misbehavior of the Indian Commis- 
sioners, which had resulted in what the House was pleased to term mis- 
management in the placing of Sir William Johnson at the head of that 
department. He took the House to task for its want of common decency 
in ordering resolutions and remonstrances intruded upon him in the privacy 
of his own dwelling, and complained of the efforts made to deprive him of 
the esteem of the people. He pronounced all the charges and insinuations 
which had been heaped upon him during the last two years false and 
malicious ; in his opinion such long-continued and unbecoming conduct 
could only arise from a firm principle of disloyalty, with a determination 
to deliver the country over to the king's enemies, or to overturn the con- 



624 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

stitution by throwing the administration into confusion, and thus gratify 
the pride and private rancor of a few men at the risk of the lives and 
estates of the people ; for, said he, " that there are such in this country ; 
is no secret, nor the share they have in your private consultations." 1 

There were few so blind as not to understand that Clinton's barbed 
arrow was aimed at Chief Justice De Lancey, whose clear vigorous advice 
kept the Assembly strong in its independent course. Clinton had written 
repeatedly to the Lords of Trade urging the appointment of Colden as 
lieutenant-governor of New York. What was his surprise and chagrin 
when, upon opening a letter from the Duke of Newcastle, dated October 
27, 1747, he found inclosed a commission for De Lancey. He attributed 
it to the influence of Admiral Sir Peter Warren, De Lancey's brother-in- 
law, who was now a member of Parliament from Westminster, and a 
favorite in the higher English circles. 2 Colden, who had been twenty- 
six years in the Council, and was much the older man, esteemed it a per- 
sonal affront. He was not conscious of any wrong-doing. He had acted 
according to his stern convictions of right. He had governed the gov- 
ernor, it is true, in many things, but only for the public good. His crime 
must have been in laboring to support the authority of the crown. For- 
merly he and De Lancey had been fast friends. Peter De Lancey, the 
brother of the chief justice, had married Colden's daughter. 3 Alas ! the 
families were estranged. 

Clinton, who was contemplating a voyage to England, was directed to 
deliver the commission to De Lancey whenever he should depart from 
the government. He immediately wrote to the Lords, begging, as a great 
favor, that he might be authorized to suppress the commission to De 
Lancey, who, he said, was in league with the Assembly to encroach upon 
the prerogatives of the crown, and leave Dr. Colden president of the 
Council, which the latter deserved for his long and valuable service to the 
country. He also asked that the suspended counselors, Horsemanden 
and Bayard, might continue suspended ; and that Admiral Sir Peter 

1 Report of the Privy Council upon the State of New York, N. Y. Coll. MSS., VI. 614-639. 
Abstract of the evidence relating to New York in the Books of the Lords of Trade, N. Y. 
Col. MSS., V. 639-704. 

2 Admiral Sir Peter Warren had been very successful in his naval exploits, and had taken 
so many rich prizes that he was said to be the richest man in England at this time. In the 
autumn of 1747 he was presented with a large silver monteth of curious workmanship, by the 
inhabitants of Barbadoes, in acknowledgment of his distinguished services. Lady Warren 
was greatly admired at the English Court. Some of the scribblers of the day pronounced her 
the most brilliant woman in Great Britain. 

I'll De Lancey lived in Westchester, and represented that borough in the Assembly 
from 1752 to 1768. 



LIBERTY OF THE PRESS. 625 

Warren might be shown less favor since he had exerted himself to the 
disadvantage of New York. 

Clinton had more influence with the British .Ministry than would nat- 
urally be supposed, but not sufficient to clog the growing popularity of 
the chief justice. The tact and scholarship of the latter, as appealed in 
his correspondence, triumphed in every instance over the diffuse produc- 
tions of the governor. And, besides, it could by no means be proven 
that De Lancey ruled the Assembly. The Assemblymen were men of 
opinions, with personal dislikes and old feuds rankling in their blood. 
Their contumacy was more likely the ill effects of the condescensions 
of former governors. Thus the lords reasoned. 

There was a brief lull in the conflict, but only for a few days. Orders 
came from the Duke of Newcastle for the disbanding of the troops en- 
gaged for the intended expedition, and directed the colonies to pay them 
and transmit the accounts to be reimbursed by Parliament, The House, 
after considering the subject, declined advancing either money or credit 
for the payment of the forces in arrears, in view of the almost ruined con- 
dition of the colony, through the heavy expenses entailed by the war 
Bills were passed, however, providing for the support of garrisons and 
scouts during the winter, and for erecting such fortifications as seemed 
absolutely necessary. 

On the 26th, Clinton sent in a message to the effect that he must 
shortly order a large detachment of militia to the frontiers, and 
demanded for them pay and subsistence. The same day Speaker 
Jones communicated the fact to the House, that the governor, by a written 
order under his own hand, had forbidden James Parker, the government 
printer, from publishing in the Post Boy (the newspaper which had suc- 
ceeded the New York Gazette) the 'celebrated remonstrance which bis 
Excellency had refused to hear read. Parker had refused to notice a 
verbal order from the governor's secretary, but printed in full the written 
mandate, together with a paragraph descriptive of the unmannerly intru- 
sion of the committee upon the governor's privacy. Clarkson was highly 
incensed. He rose in his seat and made a brief statement of the actual 
features of the interview. Parker was sent for to produce the original docu- 
ment from the governor. This being done, resolutions were passed declar- 
ing that the attempt to prevent the publication of the proceedings of the 
Assembly was a violation of the rights and liberties of the people, and an 
infringement of their privileges ; that the remonstrance was a regular pro- 
ceeding ; that the governor's order was illegal, arbitrary, and unwarranta- 
ble, and a violation of the liberty of the press, and that the. speaker's order 
for printing the remonstrance was regular and consistent with bis duty. 



626 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Parker preferred to cast his fortunes into the popular groove ; the 
governor's order was disregarded, and the order of the Assembly obeyed. 
The remonstrance appeared in the next issue of the paper. Clinton was 
furious ; cutting messages and sharp threats were shot in both directions. 
The controversy was maintained with fiery intensity for many days, in 
the course of which the House coolly directed Parker to reprint the 
offensive document, and furnish each member with two copies, "that their 
constituents might know that it was their firm resolution to preserve the 
liberty of the press." 

A series of disagreements followed. It was whispered that Clinton 
was interested in privateers ; that he had granted extravagant tracts of land 
in remote parts of the province (reserving shares to himself under ficti- 
tious names), which greatly weakened the frontiers ; that he had demanded 
subsistence for certain companies under officers of his own appointing, 
which really never existed ; that he had embezzled the presents ] tn »- 
vided for the Indians; that Saratoga was lost through his injudicious 
withdrawal of troops ; that he obstructed the course of justice by delay- 
ing proceedings ; that he sold offices, civil and military, and the rever- 
sions of the same ; in short, that he was putting forth every energy to 
make the government a post of profit to himself. Clinton became so exas- 
perated, that finally, on the 25th of November, he summoned the House 
before him, and in a long and exhaustive speech accused the gentlemen 
of having, in their continued grasping for power, encouraged disobedience 
throughout the colony, by willfully giving currency to notorious false- 
hoods which must necessarily cast contempt upon the king's representa- 
tive; and dissolved the body. 

A committee from the House were at the moment preparing another 
remonstrance for his delectation, — ■ a formidable paper, sufficient to fill one 
hundred pages of an ordinary octavo, and which evinced no mean talent 
for reasoning and analysis. As it was nipped in the bud, so far as its offi- 
cial character was concerned, it was shortly published in the form of a 
letter to the governor, which did not improve his temper. 

Oliver De Lancey in a fit of indignation asked his brother, the chief 
justice, if the affairs of the province could not be conducted without an 
Assembly ; and he was reported to have recommended the utility of 
hanging three or four people, and establishing an independent govern- 
ment. Clinton was determined to make an example of him, and at last 
obtained several depositions to the effect that he had used disrespectful 
words, and called the governor " an arrant villain, scoundrel, and rascal." 
When the depositions were read in council, the chief justice expressed 
his abhorrence of such words, and desired leave to withdraw. Clinton 
proceeded to prosecute the offender. 



THE DE PEYSTER MANSION. 627 

Clinton made a strenuous effort all at once to prevail upon the Lords 
of Trade to suppress the office of treasurer; he wished the public funds to 
go directly into the hands of the receiver-general If the laws might be 
repealed whence the treasurer derived his authority, it would compel the 
Assembly to obey his requirements, in the manner of issuing money. 
De Peyster, the treasurer, was as difficult to manage as the chief justice 
himself. He dared to neglect orders, when the governor demanded sio-ht 
of accounts for the purpose of confuting the malice of the Assembly, and 
proving that instead of his having converted large sums to private uses, 
Speaker Jones had actually drawn a considerable amount for secret ser- 
vices connected with the House. " It shows," said Clinton, " how abso- 
lutely the treasurer and the treasury are under the control of the 
Assembly ; I can neither oblige De Peyster to obey, nor appoint another 
treasurer in his place." 

Abraham De Peyster, to whom frequent reference has been made 
during the last twenty-seven years, was not an active politician. He 
was connected by marriage and on intimate social terms with the leading 
men of the colony, but he held himself aloof from special controversies. 
Hi' had fewer enemies, probably, than any other man connected with the 
government. His integrity was not questioned. He was immensely rich, 
— a fact which went far towards satisfying the community that he was a 
proper custodian for the colony's purse. He was a tall, handsome man, 
of pleasing address and aristocratic habits. He lived in a stylish manner 
in the old De Peyster mansion on Queen Street, which was built by his 
father in 1695. 1 His coach \\;i- silver-trimmed, emblazoned with the 
family arms, and drawn by four beautiful grays ; the livery of his ser- 
vants was a blue coat, with yellow cape, cutis, and lining, and yellow 
small-clothes: the button-holes worked with yellow, and the buttons 
plain velvet, 2 

De Peyster's numerous children were already reaching years of maturity 
and settling about him. James, the elder son. was married early 
this spring to Sarah, daughter of Hon. Joseph Reade. He was a 

1 After the death of the treasurer (in 1767), the Pe Peyster mansion, described on page 420, 
was purchased lin 1769) by Hon. Henry White, member of the governor's Council, and one 
of tin- founders and fourth president of the Chamber of Commerce. He married Eve, daugh- 
ter of Frederick Van Cortlandt and Frances Jay. He was attached to the nival cause during 
tli' Revolution, and his estates were among the earliest eimliseated in 177:>- He left the city 
with the British army in 1783. His wife did not accompany him, and. his death following 
soon, she continued to reside in New York, taking up her abode at No 11 Broadway (her own 
inheritance from her father), where she lived for more than half a century, and where she died 
August 11, 1836, aged ninety-eight. Chamber of Commerce Records, Sketches of Colonial 
New York, Biographical and Historical, pages 36, 39. By John Austin Stevens. 

- Miscellaneous WorksofS. Watts de Peyster, p. 108. 
40 



COS 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



merchant, and at one time (prior to their capture in the French war) 
had many vessels of his own at sea. He was also a gentleman of 
leisure and genius, and of dashing, impetuous military proclivities. 




The De Peyster Mansion in Queen Street. 

He built a castle-shaped, quaintly attractive country-house upon an 
eminence a little to the east of where Anthony Street now intersects 
Broadway ; he furnished it expensively, importing a rare and valuable 
library, and a collection of pictures from the old masters. He laid out 
open groves, wooded walks, and extensive lawns and gardens. This 
beautiful and retired home, where the dignitaries of state and celebrities 
from abroad were often entertained, was called "Eanelagh." 1 

The new Assembly was composed of the same members, with only one 
or two exceptions, as its predecessor. Jones was again the chosen speak- 
er. Indeed, things went on very much as they had done. The Indians 



1 James De Peyster was colonel in the royal artillery, which was stationed at New York in 
the time of the Stamp Act riot, and the mob ransacked his out-of-town residence, and de- 
stroyed his library, works of art, furniture, and gardens. The place was subsequently rented. 
(His daughter was the wife of Colonel James of Stamp Act notoriety.) A few months later, 
" Ranelagh Garden " was advertised by John Jones as a public resort, where fireworks and 
refreshments would be furnished. Colonel De Peyster went abroad, and was at one time 
stationed at Gibraltar, concerning which fortress he wrote a noted work. He died at 
Jamaica, L. I., in 1799, aged seventy-three years. ])> Peyster Genealogy. 



PEACE OF AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. 629 

were less ardent in their attachment than before the failure of the Cana- 
dian enterprise, and must be courted. But a letter from the Duke of 
Newcastle unexpectedly proffered all the necessary money for Indian 
presents, and the House beamed with good-nature, and expressed itself 
cpute willing to unite with the other colonies in any well-concerted scheme 
for the destruction of Crown Point. 

Clinton began to flatter himself that things were going to move more 
smoothly, when he received another hit. The House appointed Roberl 
Charles its agent to the Court of Great Britain, without saying " by your 
leave, sir." It was through the recommendation of Admiral Sir Peter 
Warren. The ostensible object in view was to oppose the royal confirma- 
tion of a late act in New Jersey respecting the partition line, although 
Clinton detected sinister designs in such a procedure. The House author- 
ized Speaker Jones to instruct the agent and correspond with him re- 
specting all matters of importance; and the honorable gentleman de- 
spatched a letter to Charles the same day. 

Meanwhile a Congress convened in Aix-la-Chapelle, to restore tranquil- 
lity to the civilized world. After eight years of reciprocal annoy- 
ance, the conditions of peace between France and England were to 
return to the state before the war. Nothing was gained by either nation. 
The treaty, negotiated by the ablest statesmen of Europe with all the 
pomp of monarchical diplomacy, left the American boundary along its 
whole line determined only by the vague agreement that it should be as 
it had been. Henceforth both French and English hurried to occupy in 
advance as much territory as possible, without too openly compromising 
their respective governments. There was no cessation of hostilities until 
the conclusion of the treaty in October. 

The tidings reached New York of what was in contemplation, just as 
Clinton and some of the gentlemen of his council were about starting for 
Albany, to meet Governor Shirley and the Mohawk sachems in grand 
council. Clinton sent messages to Shirley and to Sir William Johnson, 
and proceeded as far as the manor of Livingston, where he awaited replies. 
On the 20th of July the largest assemblage of persons which hail 
ever yet convened in America crov-ded the city of Albany. Groups 
of picturesquely attired savages, with nodding plumes and variegated blan- 
kets, wandered up and down on every side. The proceedings of the con- 
ference were neit" er new nor important. The scouring process (the 
brightening of the covenant chain) was the chief topic of oratorical dis- 
play. There were preparations, however, to be made for the coming 
peace, for the enemy had not yet suspended their murderous operations 
The troops at Albany and at several points were suffering for the want of 



630 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

supplies. Men were deserting and officers resigned their commissions, 
flatly refusing to serve longer. The governor ordered the Commissioners 
to forward provisions to the garrisons, and they declined because they had 
not been authorized by the Assembly. 

Clinton advised with Shirley in regard to the course to be pursued with 
his republican Assembly. The two governors had been for some time in 
correspondence with the great masters of English jurisprudence, and both 
pinned their faith to the supremacy of Parliament. 

The Ministry were disposed to experiment upon New York, and the 
return of peace was chosen as a favorable epoch. It was resolved to 
extort from the Assembly fixed salaries and a permanent revenue at the 
royal disposal, or by producing extreme disorder compel the interposition 
of Parliament. Clinton was the unwelcome instrument through whom 
the disciplining process was to be accomplished. He met the Assembly 
in October, and began his work by demanding what had been so 
' often denied, a revenue for five years. This was indignantly 
refused. As for the more recent practice of naming the officers provided 
in the salary bills, the House not only justified it, but intimated that if 
the course had been earlier adopted, Justice Horsemanden of the Supreme 
Court, " a gentleman of learning and experience in the law," could not 
have been removed by the governor " without any color of misconduct " 
on his part. Clinton threatened. He declared higher power across the 
water woidd not overlook such unwarranted disobedience. The House 
calmly replied : " We are fully convinced by experience that the method 
of annual support is most wholesome and salutary, and we are confirmed 
in the opinion that the faithful representatives of the people will never 
depart from it." l 

Clinton wrote to Bedford that the people of New York had become 
the high court of appeal, and that he could not meet the Assembly with- 
out danger of exposing the king's authority and himself to contempt ; he 
begged England to make a good example for all America by straightening 
the government of New York. 

Halifax had recently entered (November 1, 1748) upon his long 
period of service as First Commissioner for the Plantations. He 
saw in them a half-hemisphere subject to his supervision. He 
resolved to elevate himself by enlarging the dignity and power of his 
employment. With the self-reliance of a presumptuous novice, he rushed 
towards an arbitrary solution of the accumulated difficulties in the ad- 
ministration of the colonies, by reviewing the scheme of augmenting 
the authority of the crown and making all orders of the king the 

1 Journals of New York Assembly, II. 246. 



NEW YORK UNDER DISCIPLINE. 631 

highest law in America. Such a bill actually passed Parliament, March 
2,1749. 

Clinton and the Assembly met again in May. and the momentous 

struggle inaugurated the preceding autumn between the republicai 1 

the monarchial principle, was renewed with increased vigor. " Consider," 
said the governor, " the great liberties you are indulged with ; and what 
may be the consequences should our mother country suspect you of de- 
signing to lessen the prerogative of the crown in the plantations." 

The House did consider, and replied accordingly : "The faithful repre- 
sentatives of the people can never recede from the method of an annual 
support; .... governors are entire strangers to the people they are 
sent to govern; .... as they know the line of continuance in their 
government to be uncertain, all methods are used to raise estates to 
themselves. Should the public money be left to their disposition, what 
can be expected but the grossest misapplication under various pretenses, 
which will never be wanting." 1 

New York was at this time the central point of political interest in 
English North America. "Nowhere," says Bancroft, "had the relations 
of the province to Great Britain been so sharply controverted, or the 
Legislature, by its method of granting money, so nearly exhausted and 
appropriated all executive authority." No other colony was tinctured 
with such a fearlessness of monarchial power. The people were sell- 
reliant. Few of the leading families were of pure English descent. The 
blood of other nations coursed through their veins. There was a happy 
blending of the free spirit of Holland and the polish of France with the 
pride of England. There was, moreover, a well-developed intelligence in 
respect to the workings of the various European governments. The idea 
was not wholly unfamiliar to the New York mind that existence was 
practicable without England. Why might not ten or a dozen English 
colonies join of their own free choice in a confederacy, as well as for Six 
Nations of unlettered savages to form and execute a scheme of union 
which had survived for generations ? 

Clinton was disgusted with the determined opposition which he en- 
countered upon every side. He charged much of it to De Lance v. who 
had advised him in the beginning to accept the annual-support bill. He 
had withdrawn his confidence in a measure from Colden, because the 
latter had remonstrated with him in great heat concerning some of his 
proceedings. Bobert Hunter Morris 2 was about to sail for England on 

1 It lias been said that Clinton accumulated ;£ 80,000 while in the government of New- 
York. 

2 Robert Hunter Morris was Chief . Justice of New Jersey. 



6'62 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



business connected with the New Jersey boundary line, and Clinton 
secretly charged him with his own defense, hoping to bring the resent- 
ment of the crown upon his adversaries. If victory was obtained over 
the Assembly, Morris was to be rewarded with the lieutenant-governor- 
ship of the province. The governor confidently expected, with the help 
of the Lords of Trade, to come off conqueror, and he prorogued the 

obdurate Assembly from 
one time to another, 
waiting and hoping for 
the crisis, until the clam- 
ors of the public creditors 
forced him to dissolve 
the House and order a 
new election. In the 
halls of state across the 
water months slipped by, 
yea, two years passed, 
and yet the case of New- 
York was not fully di- 
gested. A commission 
was prepared appointing 
Eobert Hunter Morris 
lieutenant - governor of 
New York, and it lay for 
some time in the Secre- 
tary of State's office. It 
was afterwards annulled, 
the De Lancey influence 
at court having turned 
the scale. 
Rev. Henry Barclay had been rector of Trinity Church since October, 
1746. Clinton signed his certificate of induction, although his Excellency 
was rarely ever seen in the sanctuary; he was not a religious man. In 
1 748 the subject of building St. George's Chapel was agitated, and six 
lots fronting on Nassau, near Fair Street, were selected as a site, and 
bought of David Clarkson for £500. Shortly after, some lots belonging 
to Colonel Beekman, fronting Beekman, near Cliff Street, were esteemed 
more suitable. They were accordingly purchased for £ 645. The corner- 
stone of the edifice was laid in 1749, a few weeks prior to the marriage of 
the minister (Mr. Barclay) to the daughter of Anthony Rutgers.. The 
very next evening, Mr. Barclay's assistant, Rev. Mr. Auchmuty, was 




St. George's Chapel, 1752. 



A GLIMPSE OF NEW YORK IN 1752. 633 

married to Mrs. Tucker. Both ladies were spoken of in the highest 
terms of praise by the journals of the day. The chapel was not com- 
pleted until 1752, and was consecrated in July of that year. Its aisles 
were flagged with gray stone, and its decorations were very unique. It 
was ninety-two by seventy-two feet upon the ground ; the steeple was 
lofty, about one hundred and seventy-five feet high, but irregular. It 
was a striking object so far from the town and regarded with no little in- 
terest. A parsonage was subsequently built adjoining the chapel edifice, 
but for a time it stood almost alone upon the pretty elevation, with only 
an occasional house here and there in the neighborhood. 1 

The Moravians had become so numerous that they built a small chapel 
in Fulton Street, about the same time. A number of stores and pri- 
vate houses sprang into existence ; the mayor, Edward Holland, was 
active in laying out new streets, and several of the old thoroughfares were 
paved. Professor Kalm, a Swedish traveler, gossips about the metropolis 
of that date, as follows : — 

" In size New York comes nearest to Boston and Philadelphia ; but, with re- 
gard to its fine buildings, its opulence, and extensive commerce, it disputes the 
preference with them. The streets do not run so straight as those of Philadel- 
phia, and have sometimes considerable bendings ; however, they are very spa- 
cious and well built, and most of them are paved, excepting in high places, 
where it has been found useless. In the chief streets there are trees planted, 
which in summer give them a fine appearance, and during excessive heat afford 
a cooling shade. I found it extremely pleasant to walk in the town, for it 
seemed like a garden. Most of the houses are built of bricks, and are generally 
strung and neat, and several stories high ; some have, according to the old archi- 
tecture, turned the gable end toward the street, but the new houses are altered 
in this respect. Many of the houses have a balcony on the roof, upon which the 
people sit at evening in the summer time ; and from thence they have a pleasant 
view of a great part of the town, and likewise of part of the adjacent water, and 
the opposite shore. There is no good water to be met with in the town itself ; 
but at a little distance there is a large spring of good water, which the inhabi- 
tants take for their tea, and for the uses of the kitchen. Those, however, who are 
less delicate on this point make use of the water from the wells in town, though 
it is very bad. This want of good water lies heavy upon the horses of the stran- 
gers that come to this place, for they do not like to drink the brackish water 
from the wells. 

1 Admiral Sir Peter Warren gave £100 to the building of St. George's Chapel, and a pew 
was assigned to him for his liberality. The Archbishop of Canterbury contributed also to the 
undertaking. The chapel was burned in 1S14, excepting the walls, but was rebuilt the fol- 
lowing year. Rev. Mr. Milnor preached in it for many years, as did also Rev. Dr. Samuel 
Johnson, first president of Columbia College. Rev. Dr. Tyng occupied the pulpit at a later 
date, even until he removed to his magnificent church in Stuyvesant I\irk. 



634 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



" New York probably carries on a more extensive commerce tban any town in 
the English North American provinces. Boston and Philadelphia, however, 
come very nearly up to it. The trade of New York extends to many places. 
They export to London all the various sorts of skins which they buy of the In- 
dians, sugar, logwood, and other dyeing woods ; rum, mahogany, and many other 
goods which are the produce of the West Indies. Every year they build several 
ships here which are sent to London and there sold ; and of late years they 
have shipped a great quantity of iron to England. In return for these they im- 
port from London stuffs, and every other article of English growth and manu- 
facture, together with all sorts of foreign goods. England, and especially Lon- 
don, profits immensely by the trade. There are two printers l in the town, and 
every week some gazettes, in English, are published, which contain news from 
all parts of the world." 

That New York was conscious of her growing importance in a com- 
mercial point of view is evidenced by a significant enterprise in the 
beginning of the last half of the eighteenth century. It was the 
building of the Royal Exchange for merchants, at the foot of Broad 
Street, nearly on the liue of Water Street. It was supported upon arches, 




The Royal Exchange. 



leaving the lower part entirely open. One room was specially arranged 
for the meeting of merchants, and the remainder of the building was ap- 
propriated to various uses ; a coffee-room was opened at one end. The 
" Long Room " was the favorite place for societies to hold their annual 



1 William Bradford, the first printer and founder of the first newspaper in New York, died 
this year. The Weekly Journal of Zenger was discontinued. The Weekly Post-Boy and the 
Weekly Gazette and Mercury were the two newspapers of the city. 



REV. AARON BURR. 635 

elections, and it was where dinners and other entertainments were given 
ti> persons of distinction. The edifice was completed in 1754. 

Another writer, Rev. Mr. Burnaby, lifts the curtain to give us a passing 
glimpse of the people of that decade, as they appeared to his view : — 

" The inhabitants of New York in their character very much resemble the 
Pennsylvanians. Being, however, of different nations, different languages, and 
different religions, it is almost impossible to give them any precise or determinate 
character. The women are handsome and agreeable, though rather more reserved 
than the Philadelphia ladies. The amusements are balls and sleighing expedi- 
tions in the winter, and, in the summer, going in parties upon the water and 
fishing, or making excursions into the country. There are several houses, pleas- 
antly situated up the East River, near New York, where it is common to have 
turtle-feasts. These happen once or twice a week. Thirty or forty gentlemen 
and ladies meet and dine together, drink tea in the afternoon, fish, and amuse 
themselves till evening, and then return home in Italian chaises, a gentleman and 
lady in each chaise." 

In the summer of 1752, cpuite a sensation was created by the announce- 
ment in the papers of the marriage of President Aaron Burr, of the New 
Jersey (Princeton) College, to the daughter of Rev. Jonathan Edwards, 
with hints that the wedding was a very odd affair. The romance was 
ere long in the possession of the social world. The excellent, accom- 
plished, and brilliant divine had recently made a journey to the Stock- 
bridge wilderness, and spent three days in the family of the distinguished 
preacher, Rev. Jonathan Edwards, with whom he had had a previous and 
intimate friendship. Henceforward the beautiful and vivacious Esther 
made no more lace and painted no more fans for the ladies of Boston 
Burr returned to Newark, and presently sent a college boy to conduct his 
bride-elect and her mother to New York City. They arrived on Saturday, 
and on the following Monday the nuptial ceremonies were celebrated 
between the bachelor of thirty-seven and the charming maiden of twenty- 
one. And all the gossips wondered. 

Burr was the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Newark for 
twenty years, as well as president of the college, which his toil and tact 
fostered into a healthy growth. His son, Aaron Burr, the future New- 
York lawyer, and Vice-President of the nation, was born in the old parson- 
age on Broad Street in that city. February 6, 1756. 

Clinton grew more and more impatient to return to England. He at- 
tributed his rheumatic sufferings and general debility to the sever- 
ity of the New York winters. The cold was so intense during 
nearly all the month of January, 1753, that heavily laden sleighs drawn 



636 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

by two and even four horses, passed backward and forward on the ice be- 
tween New York and Long Island. Spring found him ill and depressed. 
He was in no humor to worry over the problems which were constantly 
awaiting solution. He was weary of boundary jangles, and they just now 
seemed bursting out afresh. New Hampshire had been encroaching for 
some time past. Governor Wentworth issued grants in the unknown re- 
gion about Lake Champlain, which contained scarcely an inhabitant at 
the time of the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, with the expressed intention of 
extending his province until it met with another province. The result was 
a protracted quarrel between the two governments, and unpardonable dis- 
orders in that remote territory. Massachusetts all at once exhibited signs 
of greediness, and Robert Livingston, elder son of the late Philip Livings- 
ton, was disturbed in the possession of the eastern part of his manor. All 
through the months of April, May, and June, 1753, he was arresting 
persons for trespass, and resorting to actions for ejectment, and sending 
petition after petition to the New York government for protection in his 
rights and property. Serious riots occurred. Van Rensselaer on one 
occasion sent a messenger in great haste to notify Livingston that the 
Massachusetts people had threatened to take him dead or alive ; and the 
servants about the manor-house were armed and placed on guard. The 
point, whether the boundary of the manor of Livingston was within 
the province of New York, was submitted to Golden, the surveyor-gen- 
eral, and he decided in the affirmative. Whereupon, David Jones, John 
Thomas, Paul Richard, William Walton, Henry Cruger, and John Watts, 
all members of the Assembly, were appointed to defend New York against 
both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. 

The clouds had never lifted along the northern and northwestern fron- 
tier. Actual war had ceased, but scalping parties roved about at will 
Sir William Johnson had been appointed to the Council in the place of 
Philip Livingston, deceased, and was in the confidence of both Houses. 
Much was expected of him in the matter of appeasing the wrath of the 
Mohawks, which was constantly being roused by acts of trespass and 
otherwise. And he accomplished much. But towards the close of the 
session of the Assembly on the 4th of July, Clinton was importuned to 
make a journey to the Indian country, to help settle the differences, 
and testily revealed the secret that he was in daily expectation of a suc- 
cessor, and should then sail for England. 

It was October (7th) before the new governor arrived. Sir Danvers 
Osborne had been a member of Parliament from Bedfordshire ; he was a 
brother-in-law of the Earl of Halifax. The day was Sunday, and as Clin- 
ton was at his country-seat in Flushing, Counselor Joseph Murray, whose 



SIR DAN VERS OSBORNE. 637 

wife was a daughter of Governor Cosby, and a distant relative of the 
late Lady Osborne, received and entertained the baronet at bis own resi- 
dence. 

On Monday Clinton came into town and waited upon Sir Danvers with 
much ceremony. An elegant dinner was given to the two governors by 
the Council, at which the mayor, corporation, and several prominent citi- 
zens were present. On Wednesday morning the chief actors in the drama 
assembled in the Council Chamber, and ( llinton administered the oaths of 
office to Osborne, and delivered to him the seals; at the same time de- 
livering (much against his will) to Chief Justice De Lancey the commis- 
sion of lieutenant-governor. These preliminaries completed, a procession 
was funned, according to ancient usage, to conduct the new executive to 
the City Hall, that his commission might be read to the people. They 
had scarcely passed from the fort into Broadway, when the news of De 
Lancey 's triumph was whispered abroad, and there was a tumultuous 
huzza of popular pleasure. The rabble crowded upon the procession and 
insulted Clinton so grossly that he was obliged, to his intense mortification, 
to retire from the party and take refuge in the fort. Osborne walked along 
beside the counselors grave and somewhat agitated, and apparently atten- 
tive to the noisy shouts of gladness with which De Lancey was greeted 
on every side. After his return to the Council Chamber he received the 
address of the city corporation. One passage in it seemed to disturb him. 
It was, " We are sufficiently assured that your Excellency will be as averse 
from countenancing, as we from brooking, any infringements of our estima- 
ble liberties, civil and religious." 

He remarked to Clinton, "I expect like treatment to that which you 
have received before I leave this government." 

A grand dinner was given to the two governors and the gentlemen of 
the Council by the corporation, the same afternoon. In the evening the 
city was illuminated, cannon fired, bonfires lighted, and fireworks dis- 
played. The whole city seemed in a wild delirium of joy. Sir Danvers 
retired to his room gloomy and sad, and was apparently disinclined to 
converse with any one. The next morning he rose early, before the 
family were about, and alone strolled among the markets, and took a 
rapid walk through nearly all the streets in the city. At dinner, he 
complained of being unwell, and said with a smile to De Lancey, " I 
believe I shall soon leave you the government ; I find myself unable to 
support the burden of it." 

He convened the Council that day, and was somewhat embarrassed when 
he found that the gentleman who bad the key of his cabinet had stepped 
out. He was anxious to show his instructions from the king. He said 



638 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

he was strictly enjoined to insist upon the permanent revenue, and 
asked the gentlemen what they thought of the prospect of success. The 
unanimous opinion promptly expressed, was that the Assembly of New 
York never would submit to such a demand. With a distressed counte- 
nance he turned to William Smith, who had as yet remained silent, and 
asked, "What, sir, is your opinion?" "That no such scheme can ever be 
enforced," was the reply. The governor sighed, turned about, and leaned 
his head against the window casement, and exclaimed, " Then what am 
I sent here for ? " 

In the evening he was quite unwell, and a physician was summoned. 
He conversed with him in a dejected manner for a few minutes and then 
retired to his chamber. At midnight he dismissed his servant. As was 
subsequently discovered, he spent the remainder of the night in burning 
his private papers and regulating other affairs. A small sum of money 
borrowed since his arrival was carefully wrapped in a paper and directed 
to the lender. Just as the day began to dawn he went into the garden, 
to the right of the house, which was surrounded by a high fence ; upon the 
top of this fence was a row of large nails, inverted, to exclude thieves, 
and over which he cast a silk handkerchief tied at the opposite ends, and 
proceeded to elevate his neck into it through the aid of a board upon 
which he stood. 

About eight o'clock the city was stunned by the shocking intelligence 
that " the governor had hanged himself." He had indeed been found quite 
dead. His body was removed to the house and the counselors quickly 
summoned. His private secretary, Thomas Pownal, testified that the 
baronet had been melancholy ever since the loss of his wife, of whom he 
was passionately fond, that he had once attempted his life witli a 
razor, and that the Earl of Halifax, in obtaining his appointment to the 
governorship of New York, hoped that an honorable and active station 
would so occupy his mind as to alleviate his sorrows. The mayor, 
James Alexander, and Judge Chambers were appointed to take deposi- 
tions concerning the facts and circumstances attending his death, and the 
jury found that he had destroyed himself in a moment of insanity. Eev. 
Mr. Barclay was desired by the counselors to read the burial service, and 
objected, as the letter of the rubric forbids the reading of it over any 
who lay violent hands upon themselves. But after much discussion it 
was decided, that, as Sir Danvers was insane, his remains were as much 
entitled to Christian burial as those of a man who had died in high fever. 
He was accordingly consigned with appropriate funeral ceremonies 
to Trinity Church, on Sunday, October 14, just one week from the 
date of his landing in the city. 



LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR DE LANCEY. <io'J 

The counselors left the chamber of death on Friday morning, and pro- 
ceeded quietly and sadly to the fort, where Chief Justice De Lancey took 
the oath of lieutenant-governor; his commission, after being read in 
Council, was published only before the fort-gate, without parade or show, 
because of the tragic event which had just occurred. The commission 
of Sir Danvers, together with his seals and instructions, was obtained by 
order of the Council from Thomas Pownal. 

The agitation of the great question concerning the permanent revenue 
was at its height when De Lancey found himself thus unexpectedly called 
to the chief command of the province. Of the instructions given by the 
crown to Osborne, and which his office compelled him to obey, the 
thirty-ninth enjoined in the strongest terms upon the executive to insist 
upon " a permanent revenue, solid, indefinite, and without limitation." 
The difficulty of the position was only equalled by its delicacy. De 
Lancey's tact and statesmanship were now given full play. He had 
repeatedly advised the Assembly never to submit. He did not wish to 
appear inconsistent. But as an officer of the crown he must urge obedi- 
ence with seeming sincerity, at least. 

In his opening speech he communicated the obnoxious instruct inns, 
after having paid a graceful and eloquent tribute to Sir Danvers 
Osborne, — lamenting his death as a public loss because of his 
birth, connections, liberal education, and distinguished character. But 
the language was so well chosen that while De Lancey convinced the 
Ministry that he was zealous in the promotion of the interests of the 
crown, he gave the Assembly to understand that he should by no means 
require compliance with the instructions. He was diffuse on the subject 
of obedience to royal authority, and eloquently recommended that the 
support-bills should be framed in such a manner that he could act in 
relation to them consistent with his official duty. The members were 
unruffled, for they had faith to believe that the genius of the man who 
had been the chief adviser of the present mode of raising and issuing 
public money, and who for twenty years had proved himself a lover < if 
his birthplace, and a just judge, would guide them even through the 
perils of continued opposition. 

The response evinced equal care in the method of expression. The 
House was extremely surprised to find that the public transactions of the 
colony had been so maliciously represented to the king. There was not 
a more loyal people in all the British dominions. Wherever peace and 
tranquillity had been disturbed it had been through the maladministra- 
tion of the late unworthy governor. De Lancey was complimented upon 
his known abilities and correct principles, it was promised that nothing 



640 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

should be wanting to render his executive career easy and happy, and it 
was hoped that he would assent to the style of money-bills which had 
been in practice for the past sixteen years. 

Every recommendation of the lieutenant-governor in respect to the 
care of the frontiers was promptly adopted. It was resolved to assist the 
neighboring colonies, some of whom had written for aid against the 
persistent incursions of the French. One of the newspaper editors was 
prosecuted for republishing that portion of the Assembly's journals con- 
taining the thirty-ninth instruction, only the substance of which he was 
ordered to reveal. £ 800 were voted for Indian presents, and £ 150 for 
De Lancey's voyage to Albany. £ 1,550 were voted for his salary, the 
present year, a larger sum than ever before given to a lieutenant-gov- 
ernor. This bill was immediately rejected, and the Assembly admonished 
to obey the orders of the crown. Consequently no bill providing for 
the application of public money was passed during the session, the House 
firmly refusing to arrange for a permanent revenue. De Lancey sent all 
resolutions, representations, and addresses against the measure to the 
English Ministry, and when he could do so with propriety, he wrote to 
the chief powers about the throne, counseling concession to the views 
and wishes of New York. He continued to decline assenting to the 
animal bills, which were passed at every future session of the Assembly 
until 1756, in consequence of which he received no salary during the 
whole three years. In the spring of that year the Ministry yielded the 
contested point, and agreed to annual support-bills for the future, direct- 
ing Sir Charles Hardy, then governor-in-chief, to communicate the change 
to the Assembly, which he did on the 24th of September. For this 
triumph New York was indebted solely to the master policy of her gifted 
son, Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey. 

An event of great moment occurred in the spring of 1754. The cele- 
brated Congress, consisting of delegates from all the colonies, con- 

1754 ' vened, by order of the Lords of Trade, at Albany. The object was 
to concert measures for the common safety, the French having committed 
acts of aggression all along the frontiers, and attempted to erect forts on 
the Ohio. 1 The session commenced on the 19th of June, and ter- 
' minated September 21. Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey presided. 
Joseph Murray, John Chambers, William Smith, and Sir William John- 
son were the committee of delegates from the Council. Colonel Myndert 
Schuyler was the chairman of the Indian commissions at Albany. Sam- 
uel Wells and John Worthington were among the delegates from Massa- 

1 For letters from Lords of Trade, and minutes of proceedings in full, see Doc. Hist. X. Y., 
II. 545-617. 



THE ALBANY CONGRESS. <J41 

chusetts, Lieutenant-Governor William Pitkin and Roger Wolcott, Jr. 
were of those sent by Connecticut, and conspicuous among the represent- 
atives of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, 
were, respectively, Theodore Atkinson, Stephen Hopkins, Abraham Barnes, 
and Benjamin Franklin. They were seated in the order of rank, and a 
finer-looking body of men it would have been difficult to have grouped 
together in any period of our history. Before them came one hundred 
and fifty Indian sachems in their richest robes and gayest feathers, glitter- 
ing with ornaments. Long speeches and liberal presents strengthened 
once more the barrier of defense upon which New York must rely in the 
event of another war with France. But the general treaty which the 
Lords had specially recommended, to comprise all the provinces in one 
grand union of interests in the king's name, for the purpose of drawing 
the Indians into closer confidence, was not concluded. A vast amount 
of important business was transacted ; the chronic complaints of the 
Indians about having been defrauded of their lands, underwent searching 
examinations, and legal methods were taken to redress their actual or 
supposed grievances. In many instances the property where they wished 
to dispose of it was purchased over again by the grantee. De Lancey, 
who was in favor of the consolidation of the colonies for mutual protec- 
tion, proposed the building and maintaining at the joint expense a chain 
of forts covering the whole exposed frontier, and some in the Indian 
country itself. But the Congress seemed so fully persuaded of the back- 
wardness of the several Assemblies to come into united and vigorous 
action, that nothing was accomplished. A federal union of the colo- 
nies, to be enforced by Act of Parliament, was suggested and discussed. 
A committee, consisting of one delegate from each province, was ap- 
pointed to draft a plan. It was shaped by Benjamin Franklin, and sub- 
sequently sent to the different provinces for consideration. It was in 
many of its features similar to the Federal Constitution, which Benjamin 
Franklin assisted in framing at a later period. The seat of government 
was to be in Philadelphia, which it was said might possibly be reached 
from either South Carolina or New Hampshire in fifteen or twenty 
days. 1 

But the scheme was not adapted to the times. The people opposed it, 
because it gave too much power to the king. The king rejected it because 
it gave too much liberty to the people. It met with coldness and dis- 
favor on all sides, and finally expired. Yet it prepared the public mind 
to receive and digest ideas of greater magnitude and importance. 

For a half-dozen years or more attention had been more than ever 

1 Doc. Hist. JV. V., Vol. II. 612 -G16. 



642 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

directed to the subject of education, and divers sums had been raised by 
public lotteries for the founding of a college in New York City. A score 
of men of vigorous intellects, who had been educated at Yale and else- 
where, were infusing new life into every department of letters with which 
they came in contact. The universities of New England were awaking to 
renewed activity. The college of New Jersey was giving an impetus to 
scholarship, and graduating young men who were shortly to try their 
skill in mapping out a republic. 1 Libraries and philosophical societies 
were being formed in various directions. Dr. Colden had just finished a 
book, the " History of the Five Nations," which was rendering his name 
famous. Learned scientists from Europe were attracted to our shores, 
and extended cordial sympathy to every progressive movement. Literary 
seeds long since dropped here and there in a rich soil, were showing signs 
of life, and were erelong to bring forth much fruit. 

In 1751 it was found that the amount of money accumulated for the 
college was £ 3,443, and the Assembly passed a bill to appoint ten trustees 
to take charge of the same ; they were to be the elder counselor, the 
speaker of the House, the judges of the Supreme Court, the mayor of the 
city, the treasurer of the province, James Livingston, Benjamin Nicoll, 
and William Livingston. Seven of the appointees were Episcopalians, two 
were of the Dutch Reformed Church, and the tenth, William Livingston, 
was a Presbyterian. Shortly afterward, in 1752, the vestry of Trinity 

1 Richard Stockton signed the Declaration of Independence. He was one of the notable 
seven who composed the first class that graduated from the New Jersey (Princeton) College 
on the memorable day when Rev. Aaron Burr was elected its president, November 9, 1748. He 
studied law with Judge David Ogden of Newark, N. J., and became one of the most brilliant 
lawyers at the American bar ; he was one of the few who were so conscientious that he would 
never engage in a cause except upon the side of justice and honor. He visited England in 1766, 
where he performed valuable service for New Jersey. Upon his return he was escorted with great 
ceremony to his residence by the people, by whom he was much beloved. He was a member 
of the Council, and judge of the Supreme Court. When the British army overran Princeton 
they ransacked his quiet home, destroyed his library, and cut the throat of his elegant por- 
trait, which was hanging upon the wall. It is still preserved, with the centennial gash, and 
hangs where it hung a century ago in the ancient old edifice. His son Richard, born in 1764, 
was a distinguished lawyer and statesman. He was in Congress for many years, and was 
several times talked of for the presidency. The son of the latter, Commodore Richard Field 
Stockton, born in 1796, was a remarkable man. His life was a succession of daring and 
successful exploits. He was one of the first to advocate a steam navy in this country, and 
originated a war-steamer which was built under his immediate supervision in 1844, which 
proved to be superior to any war-vessel at that time afloat, and furnished substantially the 
model for numerous others, not only in this but in foreign countries. The next year he was 
sent to the Pacific, and with a small force, amid many romantic and thrilling adventures, 
lie conquered California, and established the government of the United States within her 
boundaries. He was afterwards a member of the Senate of the United States, where, among 
other noble deeds, he procured the passage of a law for the abolition of flogging in the navy. 



WILLIAM LIVINGSTON. 643 

Church offered to donate from the estate belonging to their opulent corpo- 
ration, the site for a college building and necessary grounds. 1 In 175::! 
the trustees of the college invited Lev. Dr. Samuel Johnson, of Stratford, 
Connecticut, (an Episcopal divine,) to become the president of the pro- 
posed college, with a salary of £250 per annum; the vestry of Trinity 
Church having pledged themselves to make a reasonable addition to the 
sum. He accepted, and opened the college in the autumn with a class of 
ten, in the large vestry-room of the church edifice. It was expected that 
Eev. Mr. Whittlesey, a Presbyterian minister from New Haven, would 
serve under President Johnson as second master of the institution. But 
Dr. Johnson's son acted as tutor, and at his death soon after, an Eton and 
Cambridge student was installed in the position, and Mr. Tredwell, a Har- 
vard graduate, was made professor of mathematics and natural philosophy; 
a fine apparatus having been imported. The churches of the various 
denominations took alarm, suspecting that the Episcopalians designed 
engrossing the government of the college. 

William Livingston discovered such to be the fact, when the draft of a 
plan was laid before the trustees, so shaped as to exclude from the presi- 
dential chair of the college any gentleman not in communion with the 
Church of England, and introducing the book of common prayer for all 
religious exercises. The purpose was at the same time announced of apply- 
ing to the lieutenant-governor for a charter under the Great Seal. Liv- 
ingston was one of the younger men among the trustees, and almost alone 
in a quick, fierce, and determined opposition to the founding of a college on 
sectarian principles. He warned his associates of the folly of such a course, 
and protested against any further proceedings in the matter without the 
unanimous consent of the Legislature, to whom they were responsible. 

William Livingston was a lawyer of marked ability, and had plunged 
into political and religious controversies from his first appearance upon 
the stage of human affairs. He was independent and fearless, and, in al- 
most every instance, arrayed upon the side which had least to boast of 
power or present popularity. Wit and satire breathed naturally from his 
lips and hung upon the point of his pen. He was an indefatigable work- 
er, and, although his intellectual growth was marked by a curious dispro- 
portion and ungainliness, — that is, one faculty shot forth, then another, 

1 It seems from the records of Trinity Church, that, as early as 1703, the rector and war- 
dens were directed to wait upon the governor (Lord Corn bury) to learn what pari <>t the king's 
farm had been intended for the college which it was the royal design to build. It seems also 
to have been the intention of Berkeley to transfer the institution of learning intended for Ber- 
muda to New York, in 1729. It was not. however, until 1746, that the first actual step 
was taken, the Assembly passing a bill to raise £ 2,250 by lottery, " for the encouragement 
of learning, and toward the founding of a college." 



644 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

and another, so that life was on the wane before the full stature and the 
final proportions were reached, — he achieved deserved eminence, not only 
at the bar, but in political foresight, which rendered his career in the end 
substantially triumphant. He was one of those from whom it was always 
possible to expect greater things than he had yet accomplished. His 
success in law was not due to eloquence or even fluent speech, but to 
the accuracy of his knowledge, and the soundness of his logic, seasoned 
always with dry humor and stinging sarcasm. He was severely strait- 
laced on many subjects, but could unbend when it was his humor, and in 
the social circle or at the club was a charming companion. 1 He was at 
this time a tall, slight, thin, graceful man of thirty, or thereabouts ; so 
thin and slight, indeed, that the ladies called his face the knife-blade. 
He wore the inevitable powdered wig, the velvet coat, embroidered ruffles, 
short breeches, silk stockings, and gold buckles of the period. 

He wielded the quill in the matter of exposing the evils attending the 
scheme of the trustees, with such force that under his lash the leaders of 
the church party winced, and charged him with the design of breaking up 
the project of a college altogether. The Independent Eeflector, a paper 
which he established, and which had flourished about a year, contained 
an article on the subject every week. The following are a few of the 
titles : " Primitive Christianity, short and intelligible, — Modern Chris- 
tianity, voluminous and incomprehensible " ; " Of the Veneration and 
Contempt of the Clergy " ; " The Absurdity of the Civil Magistrates In- 
terfering in Matters of Eeligion " ; " Of Passive Obedience and Non-Be- 
sistance." 

" Will," said Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey, meeting Mm in the 
street one day, " you would be the cleverest fellow in the world if you 
were only one of us." 

" I will try to be a clever fellow, and not be one of you," was the laconic 
reply. 

The rigid, exacting, Scotch Presbyterians were thoroughly roused, and, 
led by Livingston, contended, through the press and in the Assembly, that 
a seminary of learning should have no connection with any religious so- 
ciety whatever. The struggle delayed action, and diverted one half of the 
funds to the city corporation. 2 But the charter, as projected, finally pre- 
vailed. De Lancey signed it on the 31st of October, 1754; he did not 
esteem it wise, however, in the face of such hostile and perpetual clamor, 
to deliver it until the following May. The governors of the college, as 

1 William Livingston was at a subsequent date president of the " Moot," a club composed 
entirely of lawyers. 

2 To build a jail and a pest-bouse. 



KING'S (COLUMBIA) COLLEGE. 645 

named in the charter, consisted of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the 
principal civil officers of the colony, the chief clergymen from the five 
religious denominations, and twenty private gentlemen, among whom 
was William Livingston. This mark of respect fell short of its intent, 
as it had not the slightest effect in the way of silencing him in the ex- 
pression of his cordial disapproval Money was collected in England, and 
books forwarded. Sir Charles Hardy gave £500. The largest donor in 
New York was Hon. Joseph Murray, who gave property worth £8,000, 
including his own private library. 

A feud, growing chiefly out of this college controversy, between the 
De Lancey and Livingston parties reached the very acme of bitterness. 
For many years subsequently, these two powerful and wealthy families 
were sworn foes in every matter of public or private interest, and exerted 
a controlling influence over the politics of New York, so much so, indeed, 
that in 1759 the rival parties were designated by the names of the two 
leaders, De Lancey and Livingston.^ 

An amusing and authentic anecdote is related of a mulatto slave be- 
longing to De Lancey, who stole a pair of shoes, and ran away. She was 
overtaken, arrested, and brought into court for examination. She refused 
to give her owner's name, and when commanded with threats to do so, 
still refused, sullenly determined to go to jail, the whipping-post, or die 
even, — for stealing was then punishable with death, — but never to dis- 
grace her master's family. The pressure, however, became so strong that 
she was constrained to give a satisfactory answer to the officers of the law, 
so she declared that she belonged to the Livingstons, that the stigma of 
owning a dishonest slave might be attached to her master's enemies. 

The corner-stone of the college building was laid by Governor Hardy, 
August 23, 175G. The site chosen was on the block now bounded by 
Murray, Church, and Barclay Streets, and College Place, intersected by 
Park Place. An English traveller wrote : " The new college is to be built 
on three sides of a quadrangle facing the Hudson Liver, and will be the 
most beautifully situated, I believe, of any college in the world." Its 
surroundings were pretty fields and pleasant shade ; there was scarcely 
a habitation in sight at the time. The first Commencement occurred in 
June, 1758, when ten bachelors and as many masters of art were gradu- 
ated. The students began to lodge and mess in the college building in 
May, 1760 ; and in June of the same year the procession moved from 
there to St. George's Chapel on Pieekman Street, to hold the third Com- 
mencement. In 1762, at Dr. Johnson's request, the Rev. Myles Cooper, 
fellow of Queen's College, Oxford, was sent to New York by the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury, and appointed fellow of King's College, professor 



646 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



of moral philosophy, and to assist the president in instruction and disci- 
pline, with the understanding that he was to succeed him, which he did 
the following year. Dr. Cooper was one of the most elegant scholars of 
his time, and the young men placed under his training were taught, by 
proper masters and professors, natural law, physic, logic, ethics, meta- 
physics, mathematics, natural philosophy, astronomy, geography, history, 
chronology, rhetoric, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, modern languages, the belles- 
lettres, and whatever else of literature tended to accomplish them as 




King's College. 

scholars and gentlemen. A grammar school was annexed to the college 
for the preparation of those who wished to take a full course. A high 
fence surrounded the edifice, enclosing also a large court and garden. A 
porter attended the front gate, which was always closed at nine o'clock 
in the winter and ten o'clock in the summer; after which hour, the 
names of all those who came in were duly reported to the president. 
Among the earlier graduates were the three celebrated New-Yorkers, 
John Jay, Eobert E. Livingston, and Gouverneur Morris. 

It was during the summer of 1754 that Eobert Hunter Morris re- 
turned to New York, commissioned as governor of Pennsylvania, to super- 
sede Hamilton, who had resigned. Benjamin Franklin was on a jour- 
ney to Boston, and stopped a few days also in New York. He had been 
previously acquainted with Morris, and they had several pleasant inter- 
views. Morris asked Franklin if he must expect as uncomfortable an ad- 
ministration as his predecessor. " No," replied Franklin, "you may, on 
the contrary, have a very comfortable one, if you will only take care not 
to enter into any dispute with the Assembly." 



NEW YORK SOCIETY LIBRARY. 647 

" My dear friend," said Morris, laughing, " how can you advise my 
avoiding disputes ) You know I love disputing, it is one of my greatest 
pleasures; however, to show the regard I have for your counsel, I promise 
you I will if possible avoid them." 

Franklin remembered and made happy allusion to the fad that Morris 
had been brought up to disputations from a boy ; his lather, the New Jersey 
governor, having accustomed his children to dispute with one another for 
his diversion while sitting at table after dinner. The habit of forming 
opinions and maintaining them resolutely was a Morris characteristic. 

In the autumn the New York Society Library was organized. The 
college question stimulated this movement. A library was wanted "for 
the use and ornament of the city, and the advantage of the intended col- 
lege." Money was collected and books purchased, which were placed in 
the same room in the City Hall with the ponderous tomes of theology, 
bearing the autograph of EeV. John Sharpe, which had received little 
attention for several years. The trustees appointed were Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor De Lancey, James Alexander, John Chambers, John Watts, William 
Walton, Rev. Henry Barclay, Benjamin Nicoll, William Smith, William 
Livingston, and William Alexander. 

In the mean time blood had been shed, George Washington defeat* d 
and the scalping-knife unsheathed from the Ohio to the Kennebec, yet 
England and France were at peace. The English Ministry paid little 
heed to the bold assumptions of the French in America, leaving the whole 
matter in charge of the Duke of Cumberland, the captain-general of the 
armies of Great Britain. He, taking it for granted that his polite neigh- 
bors meant something, akin to war, sent two regiments of soldiers to 
America under the command of General Edward Braddock. The 755. 
French, notwithstanding the diplomatic subtleties with which the Jan. 
English minister was amusing the French court, were cognizant of these 
movements, and sent a fleet of transports with troops, under the command 
of Baron Dieskau, to Canada. About the same time De Vaudreuil sailed 
from Brest, to supersede Duquesne in the government of Canada. Scarcely 
had the French sails caught the ocean breezes, when the English sent 
Admiral Boscawen in pursuit. Both fleets arrived nearly at the same 
moment off Cape Bace, but were prevented by the deep fog from seeing 
each other. The French fleet, favored by this circumstance, passed up the 
St. Lawrence, and safely landed officers and troops at Quebec; excepting 
two vessels. The Alcide and the Lys encountered a portion of the Eng- 
lish fleet, and, after a sharp action, surrendered. 

The certain prospect of another aggravating contest filled New York 
with alarm. Notwithstanding the colony had from its earliest history been 



648 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

constantly talking about fortifications and defenses, until the subject had 
grown monotonous, and, in spite of appropriations and protracted 

February. ' r . , . f 

labor and Indian treaties, the city and province were in a com- 
paratively defenseless condition. Albany was so exposed that the Indians 
laughed derisively. Should Albany be taken, there was nothing to prevent 
the French from sweeping down the Hudson, occupying New York City, 
and proceeding with their conquests into New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and 
beyond. 

The danger was too imminent for any waste of words. De Lancey 
convened the Assembly, by advice of the Council, on the 4th of 
February, and, although the Livingston interest ruled in that 
body (Robert Livingston, third lord of the manor, "William Livingston, 
James Livingston, and three gentlemen who had married Livingstons, 
were members of the House) and in any other event would have opposed 
whatever De Lancey proposed, the common peril overcame all other con- 
siderations. A large amount of money was needed to build strongholds 
above Albany, and strengthen defenses everywhere. The Assembly acted 
promptly. In defiance of royal instructions, it authorized an issue of 
£45,000 in bills of credit, to be sunk at stated intervals by a tax. It 
also prohibited any supplies of provisions from being sent to the French 
colonies ; and it made the militia subject to such penalties as should be 
imposed by the executive. 

Sir William Johnson hastened to New York to take his seat in the 
Council, bringing an appeal from the Mohawks, who were desperately 
frightened. Hostdities would let loose the hordes of French Indians upon 
their castles, which were now entirely defenseless, and they begged for 
aid. There was no alternative but to comply. The government decided 
to stockade their castles, and erect such other works as would best protect 
the aged warriors. The House authorized De Lancey to draw upon the 
contingent fund for this purpose ; and directed Sir William Johnson to 
estimate the expenses, and construct, on his return, such defenses as in his 
judgment might be deemed advisable. 

About the same time letters came from Governor Shirley urging the 
old project of an expedition to drive the French out of Canada. Thomas 
Pownal was the bearer of despatches ; he called upon the lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, and was received somewhat coldly. He was no stranger in the 
city, and went immediately to consult with some of the leading gentlemen 
of the Livingston faction. The influence in favor of Shirley's plan was so 
strong that De Lancey thought it wiser to yield gracious approval, al- 
though he was far from satisfied with the course Shirley had taken on a 
former occasion, where, differences of opinion having occurred in regard to 



MILITARY PREPARATIONS. 649 

certain details, the Massachusetts governor delivered himself of expres- 
sions of contempt for Ins high-toned New York contemporary, not easily 
ignored or forgotten A committee from the Council met a committee 
from the House, and it was resolved thai if Massachusetts would raise 
fourteen hundred men, New York would raise eight hundred, and would 
agree to contribute to a general fund for the support of the war. Before 
the resolution should be acted upon, it was proposed to submit the same 
to the approval of General Braddock. 

The latter officer had already arrived in Virginia, and bad summoned 
the colonial governors for the 14tli of April, to meet him in con- 
ference Shirley of Massachusetts, De Lancey of New York, 
Morris of Pennsylvania, Sharpe of Maryland, and Dinwiddie of Virginia, 
presented themselves at the appointed time. Four separate expeditions 
were planned. The first, for the complete reduction of Nova Scotia, was 
to be commanded by Lieutenant-Governor Lawrence of that province. 
The second, to recover possession of the Ohio valley, would be led by 
Braddock himself. The third, under command of Shirley. Mas to expel 
the French from Fort Niagara, and form a junction with Braddock's 
forces. The fourth, having for its object the capture of Crown Point was 
placed under the command of Sir William Johnson, whose army would 
be made up of the provincial militia and the warriors of the Six Nations. 

As soon as plans were fully matured each officer hastened to his post. 
Shirley was detained in New York a few days, trying to remove the 
objections which De Lancey had raised to the form of Johnson's commis- 
sion. Tin- two governors were nut ;it ease in each other's society, many 
points of dispute had arisen between them, and were likely to arise in 
the future; and when Shirley named Peter Van Brugh Livingston and 
William Alexander (Livingston's brother-in-law), in preference to Oliver 
De Lancey, as agents in the purchase of supplies for the Niagara ex- 
pedition, the lieutenant-governor found it difficult to control his indig- 
nation. 

The city was in a bustle of military preparation. Troops were con- 
stantly arriving, recruiting offices spruug into being, and soldiers were 
drilled at all hours of the day. Men were actively at work upon new 
defenses, as well as trying to strengthen those which had cost so much 
in the past: and provision was made for extra tire-arms, to supply all the 
the citizens in case of an invasion. 

Sir William Johnson summoned the Indians to Johnson Hall, and on 
the 21st of June opened a grand council. More than eleven hundred 
of the children of the forest were present, an unprecedented and unex- 
pected number, ami although prepared to feed a great many, this remark- 



650 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

* 
able visitation nearly swept the larder clean. Johnson threw into his 
speeches all the fire and energy of which he was master, and nearly all 
the sachems were disposed to enlist under his standard. 

Meanwhile the expedition for Acadia — Nova Scotia — was on its 
way. The two forts were quickly captured, and the English were thus 
in safe and undisputed possession. And then they proceeded to execute 
one of those needless and wanton acts which disgraced the age, and even 
humanity itself. , 

The Acadiaus were, a simple, harmless, and pious people, leading a 
pastoral life among their Hocks and herds, and tilling the soil, which, 
for more than a century and a half, had descended from father to son. 
They had remained in the territory, which, after repeated concpiests and 
restorations, had, in the treaty of' "Utrecht, been conceded to Great Brit- 
ain, and were hardly conscious of the change of sovereigns. For nearly 
forty years they had been forgotten or neglected, and had prospered in 
their seclusion. Through their industry ^the fertile fields ami rich 
meadows were in the highest state of cultivation. No tax-gatherers in- 
truded upon them, no magistrate dwelt within their borders. The parish 
priest was the sole arbiter of their disputes, and beyond him there was 
no appeal. Their morals were pure, they harbored no ill-will towards 
their fellow-men, aird were happy and contented. The husbands and 
brothers went forth in the early morn to work in the fields, and the 
wives and sisters plied the shuttle or trained the woodbirre and the 
honeysuckle over the doors of theft pretty cottages. 

Under the flimsy pretext of 'its rendering the possession of Nova 
Scotia insecure to allow, so large, a body of French to reside there, it was 
determined to set adrift the entire colony. It was no difficult matter to 
gel access to records and titles, as the unsuspecting victims were total- 
ly ignorant of law. Sium papers were taken and carefully removed. 
Their property was then demanded for the public service without bargain 
or payment. The order may still be read upon the Council records at 
Halifax, — "They must comply without terms, immediately, or the next 
courier will bring .an order for military execution upon the delinquents." 

The unoffending sufferers* ^ere despised because they were helpless. 
Presently their boats and fii.-e-.arms were taken from them ; then a general 
proclamation was issued " Commanding the males of all ages to assemble 
at their respective villages on the 5th of September. How could they 
dream of any hostile intent ! At Grand Pre, one of the places designated, 
four hundred and eighteen came together, and were huddled into a 
church, for what purpose they little dreamed. The doors were closed 
.and barred. They were then informed that their lands, houses, and live- 



SIR CHARLES HARDY. 651 

stock were confiscated to the crown, and that they themselves were to be 
removed at once from the province; but "through the goodness of his 
Majesty" they were to be permitted to take with them their cash in hand, 
with such portion of household goods as would not encumher the vessels 
in which they were to sail. 

They were prisoners indeed. They had left their homes but for the 
morning and were never to return. Their families were to share their 
lot. But as there were not enough transports to carry them all at one 
time, it was deemed advisable to get rid of the men first, and leave the 
women and children until other vessels could be provided. The 10th 
of September was the day of embarkation. The wretched fathers, hus- 
bands, and sons were drawn up six deep, the young men first, and the 
seniors behind, and under a strong guard marched to the shore. The 
women and the children rushed forward, and one wail of anguish rent 
the heavens. Not one among them had anticipated this terrible sepa- 
ration. 

Weeks elapsed before the broken-hearted beings were all shipped. 
For months the newspapers of New York and elsewhere contained ad- 
vertisements of husbands seeking wives, lovers seeking their affianced, 
and brothers seeking their sisters. 

Seven thousand of these unfortunate Acadians were distributed through 
the colonies. A few of them after weary wanderings found their lost 
ones, but by far the greater number nevermore beheld the faces of those 
who were dearer than life itself. The pen of one of our gifted poets has 
rendered the memory of this inhumanity lasting, and it can only be con- 
templated with detestation while the sanctity of the family tie is cher- 
ished in the human heart. 1 

The news that Sir Charles Hardy had been selected to succeed Sir Dan- 
\ cis ( Isborne as governor of New York reached the city in March. He 
arrived on the 3d of September. Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey 

. , , . , , Sept. 3. 

waited upon him and spent a quiet evening with him on the vessel 
before belauded. He was received in like manner as his predecessors, 
save that there was very little enthusiasm. 

He was, like Clinton, an unlettered admiral, and it was quickly discov- 
ered that he was out of his sphere in matters of state as well as deficient 
in executive talent; to govern he must have a leader. De Lancey was in 

1 Haliburton's History of Nova Scotia. Bancroft Graham. Stone. Zieutenant-Gov- 
i run,- Lawrence to the Lords of Trade. MoncTdon /•■ Hi- Lords of Trade. English writers at- 
tempted to justify this cruelty on the ground of " militan necessity." But there seems to 
have heen no "military necessity" in the act whatever, save in the imagination : and had 
there been, the dictates of decency and common humanity should have protected the family 
relation. 



652 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the gap, ami continued us much the real commander-in-chief as he had 
been. 

The war was the all-absorbing topic. The death and defeat of General 
Braddock on the 9th of July had shocked the whole community. An 
evil star hung over the expedition against Niagara also. It was to have 
started early in the spring ; but the troops who were to take part in it, 
composed of Shirley's, Pepperell's, and Schuyler's regiments, did not ar- 
rive in Albany until July, and were about to embark when the news of 
Braddock's defeat came. The effect of this intelligence was disastrous. 
It filled the army with terror, and great numbers of the troops deserted. 
Delays were inevitable, and it was nearly the end of August when Shir- 
ley, now (since the death of Braddock) commander-in-chief of the Amer- 
ican forces, arrived at Oswego. More boats had to be built, and by 
the time they were finished a storm set in so severe as to render it unsafe 
for the troops to venture upon the lake ; and when, on September 20, an 
order was given for embarkation, a succession of head winds and tempests 
arose, which continued for thirteen days, after which sickness prevailed, 
the Indians, not relishing the water, deserted, and the season was too far 
advanced. On the 24th of October, Shirley returned to Albany. 

The expedition against Crown Point, under Sir William Johnson, was 
more successful. It resulted in the defeat of Baron Dieskau, who had 
been sent to meet the approaching army, and expected, after its annihila- 
tion, to proceed to Albany and beyond. Both Johnson and Dieskau were 
wounded, and the latter was borne, while his troops were flying, into the 
tent of the former. He wrote to Count dArgenson, under date of Sep- 
tember 14, 1755, "I know not at present what will be my fate; from 
M. de Johnson, the general of the English army, I am receiving all the 
attention possible to be expected from a brave man, lull of honor and 
feeling." It is said that before the Baron left America, he presented John- 
son with a magnificent sword as a token of regard. 

The victory at Lake George was a military achievement of which New 
York and New England had reason to be proud ; and it headed a series 
of triumphs which saved America from coming under the dominion of the 
Ereuch. But the expedition did not reach Crown Point. Governor Har- 
dy, attended by Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey, and several gentlemen 
of the Council, went to Albany as soon as the news of Dieskau's defeat 
reached New York, in order to further operations, and remained until 
November 26. 

Shirley, in the mean time, arrived in Albany and found fault with 
everything which had been done by the subordinate officers. He ham- 
pered the movements of Sir William Johnson, and complained because 



OVATION TO SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON. (if),'! 

they had not been more effectual. Why had not the enemy been pur- 
sued? Why did not the General move boldly against Crown Point? 

What was the sense in constructing a useless fort ? He did not take into 
account the difficulties in the way of attacking, w ith raw and undisciplined 
militia, carefully constructed breastworks defended by regulars, trained 
under the best generals of Europe. Shirley was a consequential man. 
He paraded his marvelous military knowledge before the public eye, but 
he did not put much of it to the test in his own personal operations. 
Always in a bustle, he never made progress; las plans were feasible, often 
brilliant upon paper, but practically they did not work well. His mag- 
nificent scheme for the capture of Niagara having failed, he must forward 
supplies to the garrisons, and then "revolve in his busy mind" some 
other enterprise against the enemy. 

He went to New York December 2. He was treated like any other 
private citizen. A few days after Sir William Johnson arrived, and a 
crowd went out to meet him with coaches and chariots, and the capital 
was illuminated in his honor; England conferred upon him a baronetcy, 1 
and subsequently sent him a commission as "colonel, agent, and sole 
superintendent of all the affairs of the Six Nations and other Northern 
Indians," accompanied with a salary of £600 per annum. At the same 
time i line instructions from the Ministry forbidding each northern prov- 
iin eto transact any business with the Indians. Thus Johnson was placed 
on an independent footing. Shirley was chagrined ; but he called 
congress of governors to meet him in New York on the 12th, to diseuss 
plans for a spring campaign. Fitch of Connecticut, Sharp of Maryland, 
and Morris of Pennsylvania, were present, besides Hardy, He Lancey, 
Colonel Schuyler. Colonel Dunbar, Major Paitherford, Sir John St. Clair, 
and others. Shirley presided. As preparatory to the successful p 
tion of a remarkable project for the next year. Ticonderoga was to be 
attacked by crossing the ice in midwinter, which seemed so feasible that, 
it met with the approval of the Council. Major Rutherford and Staats 
Long Morris, the son of Judge Lewis Morris, were despatched to England 
to lay the plan before the Ministry. 

The Assembly, however, regarded the Ticonderoga project with cold- 
ness. Success is, in public estimation, tin 1 criterion of an able chieftain. 
Fair and plausible as it appeared upon paper, its author had invariably 
failed in all his military undertakings, and it was not thought worth while 
to appropriate money tor the purpose. Shirley returned to Boston where 
his wounded pride was soothed by an ovation similar to the one with 
which New York welcomed Sir William Johnson. 

1 Johnson's baronetcy was dated November 27, "1755. 



654 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

The speaker of the Assembly about this time requested assistance in the 
necessary correspondence, concerning boundary and other questions, with 
the agent at the Court of Great Britain, and the city members, — Paulus 
Richard, William Walton, Henry Cruger, and John Watts, — were ap- 
pointed a committee for the purpose. 

John Watts, as will be remembered, was the son of Robert Watts, and 
the brother-in-law of Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey. He was married in 
1742 ; and in 1747 (November 13) bought the Rosehill farm, of some one 
hundred and thirty acres, bounded on the south by Twenty-First Street, 
on the east by the East River, and, reaching over Madison Square, (which 
was then a pond of 'water affording skating facilities in winter,) itstretched 
along the post-road a considerable distance to the north. It was named 
from the ancestral estate of the Watts family in Scotland. A handsome 
mansion-house rose upon a prominent site, from which a broad avenue, 
lined with graceful elms, extended westerly to the post-road, the gateway 
being at about the present corner of Twenty-Eighth Street and Fourth 
Avenue. 1 It was a charming nook, and during its occupancy by the 
family in summer-time was the favorite resort of the gay aristocracy 
of the metropolis. Indeed, John Watts and his beautiful wife were 
so connected with the leading families as to fill an important niche in 
society. 

Their city home (subsequeutlyj was No. 3 Broadway, next the Kennedy 
mansion near the glacis of Fort George. It was a great old-time edifice, 
destined to be one of the historic landmarks of the city when nearly 
all its contemporaries should have passed away. It was elegant in its 
appointments, and in subsequent years, when large entertainments were 
given by either family, the rooms of the second story were connected with 
the Kennedy apartments by a staircase and bridge in the rear. The gar- 
den extended to the water, and was overlooked by a broad piazza, which 
was often kissed by the salt spray in a high wind. 2 

Watts was forty years of age in 1755. He was a master of political 
economy, a scholar of no ordinary attainments, and a brilliant logician. 
His letters, while upon the committee of correspondence, were among the 
finest productions of that decade. His ready mind could meet and solve 
knotty problems, and his sound judgment was invaluable in the straight- 

1 .Tolui Watts purchased the Eosehill property of James De Lancey. It was conveyed to 
the latter, June 24, 1746, by Anna Pritchard. It was originally a portion of the Stuyvesant 
property, partition having taken place (by writ) between Gerardus Stuyvesant and his sister, 
Anna Pritchard, April 20, 1742 ; William Jamison being at that time sheriff of the city ami 
county of New York, and James De Lancey chief justice of the Supreme Court, and this tract 
falling to tin- share of Anna Pritchard. 

- See sketch, page ":l'J. 



XO. 1 BROAD WAV. 



655 



ening of crooked paths. He grew constantly in importance. He was 
soon appointed to the Council, and in matters of moment his advice was 
oftener sought by the governor than thM of any other member of this 
august body. He possessed a remarkably cheerful temper, which no dis- 
appointment could disturb, and a brain, amid subsequent reverses, full of 
resource. 

His daughter Ann married Archibald Kennedy, afterwards eleventh 
Earl nf Cassilis, and member of the House of Lords. He was the sou of 




Kennedy Mansion, No. I Broadway, before the Revolution. 

Hon. Archibald Kennedy, the venerable counselor. He rejoiced in a 

handsome private fortune which he saw tit to expend in a manner suited 
to his refined and cultivated tastes. He built No. 1 Broadway (now the 
Washington Hotel), fashioning it after the most approved English model. 1 
It had a broad, handsome front, with a carved doorway in the center, 



1 The impression that Sir Peter Warren built Xo. 1 Broadway is wholly without founda- 
tion. The property in 1742 (the year in which Stone says Sir Peter Warren built the man- 
sion) belonged to the Bayards. In 1745 (June 7) Eve Bayard^he widow of Peter Bayard, 
sold the lots Xos. 1, 2, and 3 Broadway to Archibald Kennedy, the witnesses to the sale being 
Philip Van Cortlandt and Peter Schuyler. Neither house was built until some years after 
this. Abstract of Title in Book of Deeds (commenced in 17391, in possession of Major-General 
■ I. Watts de Peyster. 



65G 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



wide halls, graud staircases, and spacious rooms; the parlor was about 
fifty feet in length, with a graceful how opening upon a porch large enough 
for a cotillon-party. The banqueting-hall was a magnificent apartment. 
Aside from its extraordinary dimensions, its walls and ceilings were elab- 
orately decorated. Captain Kennedy's eldest son was born in this man- 
sion, \\ ho became not only the twelfth Earl of Cassilis, but the first Mar- 
quis nl Ailsa. 




Fraunces' Tavern. 
(The old De Lancey Mansion.) For description see page 7^9. 



LETTER OF JAMES ALEXANDER. 657 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



THE FRENCH WAR. 

1 i 1 1 m: nv James Alexander. — Shirley in Boston. — Victory of the People of \ i n 
York. — Declaration of War. — The Earl of Loudoun. -- Jl wh: John Cruger. 

New York Oppressed. - Boundary J ingles. — Riots at Livingston Manor. 

Governor Hardy resigns. — Benjamin Franklin. —The Immortal Rue. — The. 
Postal Routes of America. — Loss of Fort William Henry. — Loudoun and his 
i ibbages. — Recall of Loudoi n. — Change in the English Ministry. — Capti re 

of Fort l>r Quesne. Defeat and Recall of Abercrombie. — General Wolfe. 

Capture of Quebec. General Amherst. — William Walton. — The Walton 
House. Dea r Lieutenan [--Governor De Lancey.— Dr. Cadwallader Golden 

LlEl rENANT-G0VERN0H OF NEW YORK. —GOVERNOR MoXCKTON. — DEATH OF GEORGE 

II. — George III. — The Earl of Bute. — Resignation of Pitt. — Sandy Hook 
Lighthouse. — Sir James Jay. — The Jay Family. — John Jay in College.— 
Conquest of Havana. —Treaty of Peace. — England in Triumph. 

IT was a peculiar winter. No great military event transpired. But 
every week brought intelligence of some fresh horror in the remote 
districts. Cruelties were perpetrated iu Orange and Ulster Coun- 
ties. There were murders committed in Duchess County; and 
there were disturbances at Livingston Manor. Beyond Albany all was 
terror and confusion. James Alexander wrote to Peter Van Brugh Liv- 
ingston in December: "The manner of beginning this war must have 
surprised the nations of Europe, as it has the American colonies, but the 
way in which it has been carried on is still more surprising. General 
Braddock was sent over as commander-in-chief, and how the Ministry 
came to inlrust full powers to such a man has perplexed us all; a man 
of no knowledge, civil or military, who by all accounts had spent his life 
in the most profligate manner, made no pretensions to morals, and the 
loose indecency of his conversation showed what company he had been 
accustomed to frequent. From such an officer nothing could have Lien 
expected but disgrace to the British arms." 1 

1 Rutherford Papers. (In [possession of tin- family, Newark, N. J.) In the same collec- 
tion is an interesting letter from James Alexander to Peter Van Brugh Livingston, dated 



658 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Shirley was keeping Boston in commotion. His theories were magnifi- 
cent, but there was always something in the way of their proving success- 
ful. Troops were raised for the half-matured spring campaign, and vari- 
ous detachments were sent to posts along the frontiers. Ann Shirley 
wrote to a lady in New York: "The young ladies are beginning to hold 
down their heads and look melancholy; and, indeed, I don't wonder, for by 
Friday night we sha' n't have a beau left. Poor Boston ! what a falling 
off ! But New York will fare no better, for the handsome fellows must all 
march to the war." The same writer added in a postscript : " Last Sun- 
day I attended Miss Shirley (that was) to church, and according to cus- 
tom there were a great many people to look at the bride. Her dress was 
a yellow lutestring silk, trimmed with silver, with one flounce at the 
bottom, which was esteemed by everybody to be very genteel, and I was 
not a little pleased with it, as it was in a great measure my taste." 1 

The government at New York was occupied with boundary tangles, 
debt-bills, and conflicting opinions respecting the course to be pursued in 
1756. the conflict with France. Speaker Jones wrote to the agent in 
Feb. 23. London, under date of February 23 : " We are sitting still. The 
principal money bill, which is for paying the debts of the government 
for the time past, has passed the Council, but has not yet received the 
governor's assent, and is therefore in suspense. By the next packet I 
may be able to inform you further, particularly with respect to the 
Jersey line, which is still under consideration." 

The bill for meeting the salaries of the ensuing year was framed in 
direct defiance of the repeated demand of the crown, and the governor 
was greatly perplexed. The House refused to proceed with any further 
business, or make the necessary appropriations for the conduct of the 
war, until his decision should be known. De Lancey suggested to Hardy 
that the exigency of affairs on the frontier would exculpate him in the 
eyes of the Ministry, should he concede the point, which was accordingly 
done. The governor passed the bill, and the victory won by the people 

February 11, 1756, in which he speaks tenderly of the recent loss of the "good mother" of 
his correspondent (the widow of the late Philip Livingston). He writes : " Her very sudden 
death must have surprised you all, as it did me. I heartily sympathize with you. She was 
a good woman, and a very kind mother. Few women that I have been acquainted with 
equalled her in sweetness of temper and good sense. Whatever changes her death may occa- 
sion in the family, I hope it will not lessen the union and harmony. Let me recommend 
you to see each other often, and cultivate intimacy, for, believe me, the credit, the power, and 
interest of families depend chiefly on this. Interest often connects people who are entire 
strangers, and sometimes separates those who have the strongest natural ties. Whatever 
matters of property are to be settled, the sooner it is done the better, and I hope it will be 
satisfactory to all concerned." 
1 Rutherford Papers. 



THE EARL OF LOUDOUN. 659 

over the crown on privilege proved to be lasting. Henceforward the 
Ministry gave up insisting upon an indefinite support, and in the autumn 
the House hail the supreme satisfaction of hearing from the lips of Hardy 
himself, that the crown had virtually repealed the instructions to Sir 
Danvers Oshorne which had caused such intense indignation. 

England finally declared war against France. There is something 
novel in this announcement after the record of the past two years. 

Mav 17 

The Ministry seem to have clung to the hope that peace might 

be established on an amicable footing. < >n the other hand, the French 

hardly believed England would come out boldly and endanger her Hano 

verian possessions, and continued to claim American territory by force of 

arms. 

Shirley was recalled, and the Earl of Loudoun, one of the sixteen peers 
of Scotland, appointed commander-in-chief of the British forces in North 
America. 1 Governor Hardy announced this fact to the Assembly 
on the 29th of June. Major-General Abercrombie was placed 
second in command, arid with General Webb and two battalions, sailed 
in April for this country. Loudoun did not arrive until July. 

Abercrombie stationed himself at Albany. He began Ins career by 
sowing discord among the troops, who were waiting bo push forward into 
the country of the enemy. He announced that all regular officers would 
be over those of the same rank in the provincial service. The conse- 
quences were such that General Winslow advised his superior that any 
attempt to enforce the ride would be disastrous: ami the latter yielded, 
it having been agreed that the regulars should remain and do garrison 
duty in the torts, while the provincials under their own officers should 
advance against the French. 

As soon as this matter was arranged, Abercrombie proceeded to quarter 
his troops upon the citizens of Albany. It excited intense disgust. "Go 
back again," said the mayor of Albany, in behalf of the citizens, — "go 
back; we want no such protectors, we can defend our frontiers ourselves." 

1 John Campbell, fourth Earl of Loudoun, Baron Mauchlane, one of the sixteen peers "I 
Scotland, and F. R. S., was born in tin- year 1705. He succeeded to his title on the death 
of his father in 1731. When the Pretender landed in Scotland in 1745, Lord Loudoun re- 
paired to Inverness and raised a regiment of Highlanders for the crown. On the approach oi 
the enemy, however, he abandoned his position, and retired to the [sle of .Sky.-, with scarcely 

a show of resistance. This regiment having been broken in 174S, he was mad lom 1 "I the 

Thirtieth Regiment of Foot in 1749. He was appointed major-general in 1755. In February, 
1756, he was commissioned governor of Virginia, and was also intrusted with the supreme 
command of the British forces in North America. His career was not satisfactory to the 
Ministry, and he was rivalled in 1758. Entick's Biatary of the War, II. 393. In 1703 or 
1764 he was appointed Governor of Edinburgh Castle. He died, unmarried, at Loudoun 
Castle, Ayrshire, April -J7, 17S'2. aged seventy-seven years 



660 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

But the troops remained in their comfortable quarters, and fattened at 
the tallies of theii helpless hosts. 

Nor did relief attend the coming of Loudoun. Governor Hardy fol- 
lowed the pompous general to Albany, accompanied by De Lancey and 
Judge Chambers. But Loudoun was incapable of grasping the exigencies 
of the situation, and he was too self-conceited to receive advice. He 
cautioned Hardy without even a show of courtesy, against meddling with 
military affairs. 

The Marquis de Montcalm had succeeded Dieskau as commander of 
the French army in America, and while Loudoun was fussing and hurry- 
ing, and driving everybody, and really frittering away his time in doing 
nothing in general or particular, the active energetic French nobleman was 
on his unobstructed way to invest Oswego. After a brief action the garrison 
surrendered as prisoners of war. The French Indians, long used to deeds 
of blood, paid no heed to the terms of capitulation, and with terrific yells 
and wild leaps, were springing upon their prey to indulge in their 
customary pastime of horrid butchery, when Montcalm (to his undying 
honor be it spoken) ordered out a file of soldiers and commanded them to 
fire upon the infuriated Indians who had disobeyed orders. Six fell dead 
in the next instant, and the remainder sulkily put up their knives and 
skulked to their quarters. The garrison, numbering sixteen hundred men, 
were conveyed safely to Montreal. The two fortresses, Ontario and 
Oswego, were levelled so completely that hardly a mark of their ever 
having existed remained to be seen. 

The loss of Oswego, instead of stimulating Loudoun to efficient action, 
hail the contrary effect. He did indeed bluster and converse in elevated 
tones about annihilating Clown Point, but that was all. He sneered at 
Sir William Johnson's water-bubble, as he styled savage aid, and damned 
the Indian interest whenever the subject was broached in his hearing. 

The speaker of the House wrote to the London agent about the middle 
of October: 1 "Our disappointment is greater than that of last year. I'm-, 
instead of taking Crown Point, the enemy have mastered Oswego and 
carried away all the armed vessels, two hundred whale-boats, cannon, 
provision, and warlike stores. O shameful behavior of our forces ! We 
have now no footing on Lake Ontario; it is all in the uninterrupted 
possession of the enemy, who will doubtless dispossess us of whatever 
we have remaining if not suddenly stopped. As for our forces on the 

1 This letter was the production of the committee of city members, — John Watts, II. my 
Cruger, William Walton, and Peter lie Lancey (the latter had recently taken the place of 
Paulus Richard), — and is supposed to have been drafted by Henry Cruger, who was subse- 
rjuently a member of the British Parliament. 



LORD LOUDOUN AND MAYOR CRUGER. 661 

northern frontier, both regulars and provincials, we shall probably hear of 
no action by them unless the enemj force them to it. If some more 
vigorous resolutions are in it made in England, ami seasonably executed, 
we must inevitably fall a prey to the prevailing power of France We 

live in hopes that a vigorous push will he made tor the reduction of 
Canada, which seems the only measure that can secure us. 1 told you, in 
my letter of July li, that you should have a just estimate of the ex- 
penses of this year. I cannot at present enumerate particulars, neither 
does it appear necessary. We emitted £52,000 bills of credit last spring, 
to be redeemed by taxes on estates, real and personal, which 1 expect 
will all be expended in the pay of our forces, and other necessaries 
attending this state of warfare, before the end of the year. » »ur governor 
has acquainted us with the alteration of the instruction relating to the 
permanent salary: but at the same time insists upon a larger allowance 
than his predecessors have had, under pretense of the alteration in the 
value of our currency. How far this may occasion differences between 
him and tin.- Assembly I cannot yet foresee ; perhaps my next may in- 
form you. Inclosed you have a note of thanks to Messrs. Hamburg and 
Tomilson, merchants in London, for their extraordinary care with respect 
to the money granted by Parliament, and you are desired to wait on 
those gentlemen with it. The Assembly is now sitting, and when the 
session ends I shall write further to you." 

Loudoun visited two or three of the northern forts, admired the autum- 
nal forests with their gorgeous hues, expressed in forcible expletives his 
deep disgust at the want of decent roads, took cold in a November storm, 
and returned to Albany to dismiss the militia to their firesides tor the 
winter, and provide quarters for the regulars. 

Of the latter he sent two thousand four hundred to New York with 
orders for the corporation to billet them upon the citizens. John Cruger 
(son of the former mayor, and brother of Henry Cruger) had just been 
appointed to the mayoralty. The message from Loudoun was read in the 
Common Council, and neither its style nor import relished. The soldiers 
were crowded into the barracks, and the officers (about fifty) left to find 
lodgings for themselves. 

Loudoun came to New York in December in a towering rage. He 
summoned Mayor Cruger before him, and demanded that his officers, 
of every rank, should have free quarters in the city. Cruger remonstrated, 
and in behalf of the citizens pleaded their rights as Englishmen. Lou- 
doun checked him with an oath, and told him such was the custom every- 
where, and if difficulties were raised he would convene all the troops in 
America and himself billet them upon the people. 



u'b'2 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Cruger asked for time to consult the aldermen. The death of his sister 
made it necessary to delay an answer until her funeral obsequies were 
performed. Loudoun insisted upon speedy attention to his orders. The 




Mayor John Cruger, afterward one of the founders and first president of the Chamber of Commerce. 

citizens raved. The mayor and aldermen were at their wits' ends concern- 
ing the course to be pursued. They hurried to the governor for counsel. 
He was reticent. They called a meeting of the judges of the Supreme 
Court, and the city members of the Assembly, to investigate the laws 
upon the subject. Chief Justice De Lancey declined to give an extra- 
judicial opinion. John Watts spoke his mind in favor of the people with 
remarkable force ; he said that free quarters were against the common 
law. Henry Cruger manfully asserted that the arbitrary conduct of the 
commander-in-chief was illiberal and illegal. Yet it was not clear how 
far opposition might be persisted in without danger of prosecutions. Two 
committees were appointed, — one to present a memorial to the governor 
asking his mediation, the other to visit Loudoun. Of the latter only the 
mayor was admitted to the lordly presence. As soon as Loudoun caught 
the spirit of the object of the committee, he exclaimed, " God d — n my 
blood ! if you do not give my officers free quarters this day, I will order 



NEW YORK OPPRESSED. 663 

here every man under my command and billet them upon the city." He 
immediately quartered six upon Oliver De Lancey. This was too much 
for the high-strung aristocrat, who attempted to turn them out of doors. 
Loudoun immediately sent halt' a dozen more to add to the measure of 
De Lancey's wrath. The latter threatened to leave the country if they 
were not removed. " I shall be glad of it," replied the merciless poten- 
tate, " for then the troops will have your whole house." The excitement 
was intense. But there was no help at hand, ami, as tin- citizens declined 
being hospitable, a private subscription remedied matters for the time, 
while the oppressor was regarded with supreme abhorrence. 

Speaker Jones wrote to the agent at the English Court: ""What tin- 
next summer will produce the Almighty only knows. 1 assure you our 
situation is extremely distressing. New York, as you know, is tin:- prin- 
cipal seat of the present war, and is harassed and burdened in all shapes ; 
soldiers quartered upon us without pay, our herses and carriages used at 
pleasure, some broken, and others burned and destroyed by tin- enemy, 
can- militia forced to make long marches in every direction, and our peo- 
ple unable to attend to their usual occupations. To this may be added 
another heavy expense, namely, the great number of French sent here 
from Acadia by Governor Lawrence, and the prisoners taken at the battle 
of Lake George, in September, 1755, with many others brought in by pri- 
vateers. Our £52,000 are all used, aud we are breaking in upon the 
present made us by Parliament, which in this expensive state of things 
cannot last long. Unless we have further aid from England we must sink 
under the weight of these excessive pressures." 

Loudoun summoned a congress of governors to meet him in New York 
just prior to the winter holidays, aud with offensive arrogance charged 
the disasters of the war to the negligence and stinginess of the colonies. 
He talked airily about the next year's campaign, and demanded additional 
tii »i] is and supplies, which were provided. He afterwards proceeded 
through Connecticut to Boston, much to the relief of the people of New 
York, who detested him to such a degree that his very presence in the 
city was almost intolerable. 

Hardy convened the Assembly on the Kith of February, with a view to 
meet the requisitions of Loudoun, and also to communicate the in- 1757. 
telligenee that the crown was about to send additional reinforce- Feb - 16 - 
ments to the aid of the colonies. Other weighty matters demanded im- 
mediate attention. The disputes with Massachusetts and New Jersey 
concerning boundaries were assuming proportions only secondary to the 
snarl between England ami France. The commotions among neighbors 
along the borders were lamentable in the extreme. Livingston Mama 



(i()4 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

had been the scene of several startling riots. And just now news came 
that the sheriff in the discharge of his duty had been roughly handled, 
and a man whom he called to his aid instantly killed. The Stockhridge 
Indians were taking sides. They had, in many instances, sold lands twice 
over to interested parties, in disregard of former patents. They had car- 
ried off one of Livingston's tenants that a Sheffield farmer might possess 
himself of the premises upon the strength of one of their doubtful titles. 
Mrs. Livingston wrote to her husband (who was one of the members of 
the House) in New York, that the family were in constant fear of some 
hostile movement on the part of the savages, who sneaked about among 
the tenants of the manor in bands, mysteriously, and not infrequently 
came into the grounds of the manor-house and gesticulated in a threaten- 
ing manner. Livingston petitioned the government for a company of 
soldiers to guard his possessions. Hardy recommended that commission- 
ers at the public expense be at once appointed to settle the chronic con- 
troversy. 

At the same time a bloody war was raging in Pennsylvania, which had 
grown out of alleged deceits practiced upon the Delawares in the sale of 
their lands. Sir William Johnson had listened to the recital of similar 
grievances ever since he took up his abode in the vicinity of the Six 
Nations, and became superintendent of Indian affairs. He believed that 
fraudulent purchases, or those which the Indians claimed as such, should 
be surrendered. He had repeatedly expressed his views to the Ministry 
and to the colonial governors. Hardy was of the same way of thinking, 
and recommended to the Assembly the passage of a law for vacating all 
grants, exorbitant or otherwise, which the Indians considered fraudulent. 
He said it appeared to him, in the alarming posture of affairs, not only a 
just but a necessary measure ; the tickle warriors must be induced if pos- 
sible to throw their whole assistance into the scale. 

Sir Charles had, six months prior to this, proposed an act for annulling 
certain Land-patents in Central and Western New York, upon the ground 
of their having been fraudulently obtained from the Indians, and the par- 
ties interested had traced it to the direct influence of Johnson. 

The reply of the House to the governor's message was a carefully con- 
sidered document. It embodied no backwardness in the way of providing 
troops and warlike supplies for the coming year, "that, whatever may be 
the fate of our cause, we may not be in any way instrumental to our ruin, 
by tedious delays, timid resolutions, or an ill-timed parsimony." With 
respect to the boundary question, duty did not seem to stand out in quite 
so bold a light. The expense of commissioners would be a fatal outlay in 
this time of trial. The governors of those colonies with whom the dis- 



GOVERNOR HARDY RESIGNS. 665 

pates raged ought to preserve peace and order in their respective borders 
until the common enemy should be repelled, and the fact established that 
either possessed lands to divide or jurisdiction to settle. "We would 
humbly observe that a line of a much more serious nature at present en- 
gages our whole attention and justly claims the substance we have to 
spare." 1 

As to the fraudident grants of land, it was admitted that such had un- 
doubtedly retarded settlements, and given the Indians cause of complaint, 
but that the owners had paid considerable sums, first to the Indians for 
their rights, and afterwards to the governor and other civil officers for the 
patents, — often more than the lands were worth, — and to deprive such 
owners of their possessions would be harsh and unjust. As affairs stood 
now, no settlements could be made upon them, and the Indians would con- 
tinue to be the sole occupants; thus the consideration of the subject 
might as well be postponed. "Ah," said Sir William Johnson to Hardy, 
•■ with half a dozen Livingstons in the House, all interested in their fathers' 
old disputed patent, and the De Lanceys owning the rich tract twenty 
miles in length on the banks of the Mohawk near Wood Creek, what else 
could have been expected ! " 

Governor Hardy had long since applied to the Lords of Trade for 
permission to resign his government and re-enter the navy. He was 
aware of his own incapacity. One branch of his office was to preside as 
chancellor. The first time the court opened there was a vacant seat 
between Judge Chambers and Judge Horsemanden. The hall became 
crowded and still no governor. Presently the chief justice made his ap- 
pearance, struggling through the dense mass of people towards the bench 
His face wore a troubled expression, as if he was nut quite satisfied with 
the propriety of taking such a step. The judges arose, and courteously 
placed him upon the bench, where he continued until two prisoners, one 
charged for murder and the other with theft, were arraigned and taken 
from the bar. The same day was appointed for arguing a demurrer to a 
bill in Chancery before the governor. There was considerable delay. 
Finally some of the lawyers were invited to his Excellency's private 
loom, where he apologized tor detaining them, by saying that he had 
desired the chief justice to be present and he had not yet come. "I 
can't take upon myself," he said, "to say I understand the law. I have 
been justice of the peace in England, but my knowledge, gentlemen, 
relates to the sea: that is my sphere. If you want to know when the 
wind and tide suit for going down to Sandy Hook, I can tell you. How 
can a captain of a ship understand your demurrers in law '" De Lancej 

1 J., in-, i'i l* oj ! 



666 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

came in to the delight of the sailor-executive; when the debate took 
place, the governor sat awkwardly by the side of the able and elegant 
chief justice, who pronounced the decree and dictated the entry in the 
register. "I beseech you, gentlemen," said Hardy, " to bring these kind 
of questions before rue as seldom as possible. If you ever dispute about 
a fact, 1 ran search the depositions, and perhaps tell you who has the 
best of it ; but I know nothing about your points of law." 

The Lords of Trade were open to conviction ; Hardy was out of his 
sphere, and they made him a rear-admiral in the contemplated naval 
expedition against Canada. He sailed at midnight on the 2nd of July, to 
join the forces at Boston, and the next morning De Lancey took the 
oaths, and continued in the supreme command of the province until his 
death. 

In the mean time Morris had disputed with his Assembly in Pennsyl- 
vania, until, lover of disputations as he was, he cared to indulge iu it no 
lunger. The Assembly could uot please him, nor frame a bill that he 
would sign. He showed his instructions, by which it was plainly ap- 
parent that only one course had been open to him. There was a rapid 
fire of addresses and replies, which had no effect, and could have none, 
except to exasperate. Morris, therefore, forwarded to England his resig- 
nation, and held his place only until his successor should arrive. 

Franklin relates many anecdotes of his intercourse with Morris, while 
the latter occupied the gubernatorial chair. One afternoon in the height 
of the public cpiarrel the two notables met in the street : " Franklin," 
said Morris, "you must go home with me and spend the evening; I am to 
have some company whom you will like." Arm in arm, they proceeded 
to Morris's house. In gay conversation over their wine after supper, 
Morris remarked jestingly, that he " much admired the idea of Sancho 
Panza, who, when it was proposed to give him a government, requested 
it might be a government of blacks ; as then, if he could not agree with 
his people, he might sell them." One of the guests turned to Franklin 
and said, " Why do you continue to side with the Quakers ? Had you not 
better sell them ? The proprietor would give you a good price." " Oh ! " 
replied Franklin, "the governor here has not yet blacked them enough." 

It was in July, 1756, that Morris ceased to govern Pennsylvania, and 
William Denny ruled in his stead. "Change of devils is blithesome" 
(according to the Scotch proverb), wrote William Franklin. After a brief 
lull the strife and the bitterness arose again, and the Assembly and the 
new governor could agree upon nothing. 

Franklin, who continued the leader of the popular party, was appointed 
by the House, agent of the province to proceed to England for the trans- 



Til E IMMORTAL KITE. 667 

action of important affairs, ami his son, William Franklin, was permitted 
to resign his office of clerk of the House, and accompany his father. 
K. L,500 were voted for the expenses of the voyage and residence in 
London. 

It was five years since Franklin in a June thunder-storm had experi- 
mented with the immortal kite. Who does not know the story \ How 
he fashioned his kite and stole away, upon the approach of a storm, to a 
common, near an old cow-shed; how, wishing to avoid the ridicule of 
possible failure, he told no one except his son, a young man of twenty- 
two ; how lather and son waited under the shed, presenting the specta- 
cle (if there had been any one to behold it) of two escaped lunatics 
trying to Hy a kite in the rain ; how, when both were ready to despair 
of success, the fibers of the hempen string began to rise, as a boy's hair 
rises when he stands on the insulating-stool ; how the trembling hand 
was applied to the key, how the Leyden phial was charged, how the wet 
kite was drawn in, and how the triumphant philosopher went home the 
happiest man in Christendom. Who does not love to ponder upon the 
progress, henceforward, of Franklin's electrical studies, and see him bring 
the lightning into his library for constant examination ? He tried it upon 
magnets, he tried it in vacuo, he tried it upon the sick, he tried it upon 
the well, he tried it upon animals, he tried it upon men. He tried elec- 
tricity excited by friction, electricity drawn from the clouds, electricity 
generated in the cold and glittering winter nights, and the electricity of 
the electric eel. He had electrical correspondents everywhere. Masters 
of ships who encountered remarkable thunder-storms sent narratives of 
what they had seen to him. Lightning-rods made their way slowly into 
use. They were greatly feared, however. An earthtptake occurred in 
1755, and a good New England divine preached a sermon upon the sub- 
ject, in which he contended that the lightning-rods, by accumulating the 
electricity in the earth, had produced the earthquake. Science encoun- 
tered all manner of obstacles. But Benjamin Franklin became the ac- 
knowledged head of the electricians of the world. 

In 1753, he had been commissioned postmaster-general for America. 
He immediately commenced improvements in this branch of the public 
service. There were as yet no mail-coaches ; the carriers rode on horse- 
back. America, however, was not far behind England. A Londoner 
could not send a letter to Edinburgh and receive an answer in less than 
ten days, and only thus speedily in case weather and highwaymen per- 
mitted. It was not uncommon then for a post-rider to leave London with 
only five or six letters for Edinburgh in his bag; on one occasion it is 
recorded that he carried but one letter. 



008 HISTORY OF THE CITY <>/■' NEW YORK. 

The office of postmaster-general of America was created in 1 (>'.):>. 
Twenty years before, New York had established the first mail-route 
(monthly) to Boston. As late as 1704 no post-rider went farther north 
than Boston, or farther south than Philadelphia. In 1753 the line of 
posts still began at Boston, and extended as far south as Charleston. 1 
There was no post into the interior of the country. Franklin named his 
son controller of the post-office, who managed its details for many years 
He himself set out on a tour of inspection, and, traveling patiently over 
the routes, erected mile-stones (some of which are still standing), and es- 
tablished a new postal system, which was of the greatest advantage to the 
colonies. Instead of one mail a week in summer and one in two weeks 
in winter, between New York and Philadelphia, he soon started a mail 
from each of these cities three times a week in summer and once a week 
in winter. To get an answer from Boston a Philadelphian had been 
obliged to wait six weeks ; the time was quickly reduced to three weeks. 
He reduced the rates of postage and instituted other improvements. And 
it was not a moment too soon, for all these better facilities for transmitting 
intelligence, were put into constant requisition in the organization of de- 
fense against the combined forces of a savage and civilized foe. 

Franklin was five months in getting from Philadelphia to London. He 
left home on the 4th of April, traveling on horseback through New Jersey 
in order to take one of two packet-ships at New York which were ready to 
sail, and waiting only for Lord Loudoun to give the order. Loudoun had 
been to Philadelphia ostensibly to interpose between the governor and the 
Assembly. Franklin wrote afterwards : " 1 wondered much how such a man 
came to be intrusted with so important a business as the conduct of a great 
army ; but, since having seen more of the world, and the means of obtain- 
ing and motives for giving places and employments, my wonder has dimin- 
ished." It was eleven weeks before Loudoun permitted the packet to sail. 
Never was there a greater marvel of dilatoriness and procrastination thau 
the commander-in-chief of the British army in America. Never were 
great interests so trifled with as by him. His indecision and indolence 
almost tax our credulity. His to-morrow never dawned. The packets 
were detained for his lordship to finish letters. Franklin went one 
morning to call upon Loudoun, and found in the antechamber an express 
messenger from Philadelphia, who said he had orders to call for the gen- 
eral's answer to the governor, the next morning at nine o'clock, and should 
set out immediately for home. Franklin hastened to his quarters, and, 
preparing a bundle of letters for his family, placed them in the messenger's 
hands. A fortnight afterward Franklin met Innis, the messenger, again 

1 Many of these roads were mere bridle-paths through the forest. 



LOSS OF FORT WILLIAM HENRY. Oti*J 

in the same place, and exclaimed, " What ! so soon returned?" "Re- 
turned; no, I arn not gone yet," replied Iimis. ''How so?" asked 
Franklin. " I have called here this and every morning these two weeks 
past for his lordship's letters, and they are not yet ready," said limis 
" Is that possible," exclaimed Franklin, " when he is so great a writer? 
for I see him constantly at his escritoire." " Yes," said Innis satirically ; 
" but he is like St. George on the signs, — always on horseback, and ne\ ei 
rides on." 

Franklin could do nothing but dance attendance upon Loudoun, and en- 
joy the dinners which were given him quietly by De Lancey, and Cruger, 
and others. Loudoun treated him with the utmost politeness, often in- 
viting him to dinner, and sometimes asking bis advice : but every matter 
of business was postponed. 

The fleet was finally ready to sail for Halifax, and the packet was or- 
dered to attend Loudoun until his despatches should be ready. When 
five days out at sea, it was permitted to change its course and cross the 
Atlantic with its philosophic passengers. 

Loudoun reached his destination the last day of June. He was joined 
July 9, by Admiral Holburu, with sixteen ships of the line, and by Lord 
Howe with six thousand disciplined troops, thus increasing the land 
force to eleven thousand well-appointed and effective men. It was a 
beautiful, balmy summer, everything was favorable, but Loudoun was not 
disposed to move rashly. He laid out a vegetable garden and a fine 
parade-ground, and exercised his men in sham attacks upon sham forts, 
and finally altered his mind in regard to aggressive projects, and returned 
to New York with all his troops. 

Montcalm took the opportunity, while Loudoun was amusing himself 
with his cabbages at Halifax, to swoop down upon Fort William Henry. 
General Webb was at Fort Edward with four thousand or more men, 
frantically calling to De Lancey ami Sir William Johnson for help, but 
made no effort to' go to the relief of the besieged. The militia were dis- 
gusted with their incompetent leaders, and deserted in great numbers. 
In one instance, out of a company of forty men, stationed at Fort Edward, 
ten only were left. Loudoun presently inundated New York City with 
his soldiers, and talked about encamping on Long Island for the defense 
of the continent. 

Puimors that a large force of French and Indians were preparing to 
descend upon the settlements, readied Sir William Johnson very soon 
after the surrender of Fort William Henry. He wrote a plain letter 
to Abercrombie, telling him that the regulars stationed at the forts were 
arrogant and self-sufficient, and of no earthly use in protecting the 



670 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

settlers. Men qualified to act as rangers were wanted, who might be 
continually employed in scouring the country in search of scalping- 
parties. The garrison should also be increased, that effectual resistance 
might be made in case the enemy appeared in force. Abercrombie gave 
no heed to the advice. He was in Albany, drinking wine and eating 
good suppers. All at once, about three o'clock on the morning of 
November 12, sixty or more families residing at the German Flats were 
roused from their slumbers by the terrible war-whoop. The forts were 
burned, and the dwellings set on fire. The savages stationed them- 
selves near the doors of each house, and tomahawked the inmates as they 
rushed out to avoid the flames. Forty persons were inhumanly massa- 
cred, and one hundred and fifty carried into captivity. The enemy took 
away with them vast quantities of grain and money, besides three thou- 
sand horned cattle and the same number of sheep. The excitement was 
universal. The whole Mohawk Valley was in a wild panic, and the 
settlers hastened to send their effects to Albany and other places, and at 
one time it seemed as if the settlements would be entirely depopulated. 

Loudoun was also at Albany when this affair occurred, and attributed 
the disaster entirely to the mismanagement of Indian affairs, and the 
treachery of the savages themselves. His generals busied their minds 
with charging the responsibility upon each other. Alas ! what could 
have been expected from officers whom children might outwit or terrify 
with popguns ? 

Loudoun blustered. Blustering was his favorite pastime. He talked 
about making war upon the Six Nations, because some of them had been 
won over to Montcalm's interest through admiration of his superior 
bravery, and were of the murderous band who fell upon the German 
Flats. The very suggestion filled New York with horror. " Strike but 
one blow in that direction and we are lost," said Sir William Johnson. 
Colonel Peter Schuyler, who had been taken prisoner at the surrender 
of Oswego, left Quebec, October 22, and reached Albany about the 
middle of November, on parole, to return in May. He urged Loudoun 
to abandon the mad project of inaugurating hostilities with the Indians; 
and other vigorous counsels fell thick as snow-flakes about the command- 
er's head. 

Colonel Peter Schuyler was the son of Arent Schuyler of New Jersey. 
He had, since 1746, commanded the New Jersey forces, and was consid- 
ered one of the ablest of the colonial officers. His arrival in New York 
caused great rejoicing. The city was illuminated, a bonfire kindled on 
the common, and an elegant entertainment given him at the " King's 
Aims Tavern." The next day (Sunday) he set out for his home on tin- 



THE SCHUYLERS OF NEW JERSEY. 671 

cast side of the Passaic River just above Newark, where he was saluted 
with thirteen discharges of cannon; and the following evening Newark 
was illuminated in his honor, bonfires kindled, and a grand banquet ten- 
tiered him by the principal citizens. The period of his parole expired, 
and all efforts for his exchange having failed, he proceeded bravely to 
deliver himself over to Montcalm, then at Ticonderoga, who forwarded 
him to Montreal. He was empowered by Abercrombie to negotiate ail 
exchange of prisoners, and in November (1758) succeeded in exchanging 
himself for Sieur de Noyau, the commander at Fort Frontenac captured 
by Bradstreet. He returned at once to New York, bringing with him 
twenty-six women and twelve children, whom he had redeemed from 
captivity with his own purse, and had fed for weeks from his own table. 
His benevolences while in Canada alleviated much of the suffering to 
which the English prisoners were subjected. Soon after his release he 
again led the New Jersey soldiers into Canada, and was one of the victori- 
ous band who entered Montreal when that city surrendered in 1760. His 
wife was Mary, daughter of John Walter, a man of great wealth, residing 
on Hanover Square, New York. His only daughter, Catharine, became 
the first wife of Archibald Kennedy (eleventh Earl of Cassilis). 1 

The home of the Schuylers on the Passaic was a great square stone 
and brick dwelling, which is still standing upon a beautiful site opposite 
the little city of Belleville. In its palmy days the lawns and gardens 
extended over many acres and to the water's edge, and for half a century 
the Schuyler deer-parks were pronounced the finest in America. 2 

1 Hon. Archibald Kennedy, the receiver-general, counselor, etc., secured, in 1724, a mag- 
nificent estate known as the Duke's farm in New Jersey. After his death, in 1763, it came 
into possession of his son Archibald, who, marrying Catharine Schuyler, heiress of not only 
the extensive estates of her father and mother, and of her grandfather, .Tohn Walter, but of 
Richard Jones, became a very rich man. The younger Kennedy was appointed captain in 
the Royal Navy in 1753. After the death of his first wife he married Ann. daughter of Hon. 
John Watts (April 27, 1769). 

- Arent Schuyler (the ancestor of the New Jersey branch of the Schuyler family, sec page 
154) bought, in company with Lieutenant-Governor Brockholls, over four thousand acres of 
land at New Barbadoes Neck, in 1695, and received a patent from Governor Fletcher in 11197. 
It was probably as late as 1710 before he went there to reside. The property proved of great 
value through the discovery of copper. A negro slave while ploughing one day turned up a 
greenish heavy stone, which he took to bis master, and which Schuyler sent to England for 
analyzation. It was found to contain eighty per cent copper. Schuyler desired to reward 
tin- lucky slave, and told him to name three things which he most desired and they should 
be granted him. The gentleman of color asked, first, that he might remain with his master 
as long as he lived ; second, that he might have all the tobacco he could smoke ; and third, 
that lie might have a dressing-gown like his master's with lag brass buttons. Schuyler sug- 
gested that he should ask for something of more value. Upon mature reflection the negro 
filled the measure of his earthly happiness, by the request that lie might havi a little more 



672 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 




ji/^Z&t- ±J fCi^ctf Ley 



y 



It is doubtful whether 
Loudoun would have 
put his threats into exe- 
cution in any event. He 
was shortly disposing 
his troops through the 
provinces for the winter, 
quartering them upon 
the people in a magis- 
terial manner which 
gave fresh and general 
offense. 

De Lancey convened 
the Assembly in De- 
cember, but the small- 
pox was raging in the 
city to such an alarming 
extent that they met in 
an " out-house " (a good 



tobacco. Schuyler shipped considerable quantities of ore to the Bristol copper and brass 
works, England. His son John worked the mine still more extensively. In 1761 an engine 
was brought out from England, and with it came, as engineer, Josiah Hornblower, the father 
of the eminent chief justice of New Jersey. In 1765 the building and engine were destroyed 
by fire, and remained in ruins until 1793. 

The children of Arent Schuyler were : 1, Philip, who married Hester, daughter of Isaac 
Kingsland (Isaac Kingsland was the founder of the honorable family of that name in New 
Jersey, whose sun Edmund married the daughter of Judge Pinhorne, and was the grandfather 
of Elizabeth Kingsland, who became the wife of Josiah Hornblower, and mother of the chief 
justice), was a member of the New Jersey Assembly, and a large land-owner, a portion of hia 
estate being now known as Pompton, in Passaic County, where many of his descendants 
reside, — his son Carparus had an only daughter, who married General William Colfax of 
Pompton, in 1783, and was the grandmother of Schuyler Colfax, late Vice-President of the 
United States ; 2, Olivia ; 3, Casparus, who settled in Burlington, New Jersey ; 4, John, 
who married Ann Van Rensselaer, and inherited the homestead and mine on the Passaic, — 
his son, Arent J., married his cousin, Swan Schuyler (in 1772), whose son, John A., married, 
1, Eliza Kip, and, 2, Catharine Van Rensselaer, and the seven children of the latter inter- 
married with the principal families of New York and New Jersey, their descendants filling at 
the present time important positions in society ; 5, Peter, the famous military commander 
above mentioned, who died at his home on the Passaic, Sunday, March 7, 1762 ; 6, Adonijali, 
who married Gertrude Van Rensselaer, and had seven children (it was his daughter Swan 
who married her cousin Arent J.) ; 7, Eve, who married Peter Bayard of New York, and 
received from her father the gift of a valuable lot on Broadway ; 8, Cornelia, who mar- 
ried Pierre Guillaume, the younger son of Hon. Abraham De Peyster, first treasurer of tin' 
New York province. She also received from her father a lot on Broadway, and several negro, 
slaves. 



RECALL OF LOUDOUN. 673 

substantial stone dwelling which was occupied by his overseer) upon his 
own farm above Canal Street, Two of the newspapers of the day in- 
dulged in a strain of political sarcasm by speaking of the "Parliament of 
New York sitting at present in Mr. De Layicey's kitchen " 

One of the most important subjects before the House at this session. 
was to divert a part of the funds raised tor fortifications to the construc- 
tion of barracks for the soldiers, in order to relieve private families upon 
whom they had been billeted by Loudoun. The city corporation offered 
to replace the money. 1 Then there was the maintenance of prisoners, 
the defense of the frontiers, and the salaries of the year to be looked 
alter; and laws to be passed for restraining the kind's troops from intem- 
perance, for stricter discipline among the militia, for regulating the 
staples of Hour, beef, pork, and butter, for continuing the excise upon tea, 
for a poll-tax upon negro slaves, and tonnage duty upon all vessels, not 
excepting those from (heat Britain. A law was also passed to prolong 
the currency of the bills of credit, the royal inhibition to the contrary, 
notwithstanding. 

Thus ended 17~>7. It is not singular that New York should have 
grown suspicious, inquisitive, and cautious; that Loudoun was 
regarded with contempt whenever he inflicted his presence upon 
the city; that his military skill, courage, and integrity were called 
severely in question : that men spoke openly of the " Cabbage Planting 
Expedition"; that they laughed incredulously when a winter attack 
upon Ticonderoga was proposed ; that witty jokes circulated freely con- 
cerning the hand-sleds aud snow-shoes that were being made at Albany. 
and the worsted caps which were advertised " wanted." After a low 
weeks nothing more was heard of this latter undertaking. General Webb 
spent the winter with Loudoun in New York, and they both devoted 
themselves to such amusements, concerts, theatrical performances, assem- 
blies, etc., as the city afforded, and played cards and drank wine the re- 
mainder of the time. 

The repeated failures of the British arms hail exasperated the nation. 
A change in the Ministry wrought a new phase in military operations. 
The elder Pitt (who succeeded the silly Newcastle) declared in Parlia- 
ment that he never could ascertain what Lord Loudoun was doing in 

March. 

A aerica. His recall, and also that of General Webb, soon followed. 
Abercrombie, who had remained quietly at Albany, was appointed to the 
chief command. 

1 Among the aldermen of New York at this time were, Philip Livingston, Nicholas 
Roosevelt, Leonard Lispenard, Pierre De Peyster, Abraham De Peyster, William Coventry, 
Oliver De Laneey, Albert Herring, Theodoras Van Wyck, Joris Johnson, and John Bo- 
Efart, Jr. 



674 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

A campaign against Canada was planned upon a gigantic basis, and 
this time seemed invested with the elements of fact. The crown was to 
furnish all the arms, ammunition, provisions, tents, boats, etc. ; the colo- 
nies were to raise as many men as their population would warrant, and 
the governors were desired to buy clothing, appoint officers, and pay troops, 
with a promise of Parliamentary reimbursement. The provincial colonels 
were to be made brigadier-generals, and the lieutenant-colonels were to 
rank as colonels. 

Nothing could be more grateful to the people than these tidings. 
Every town and hamlet were at once drained for men and means. The 
New York Assembly promised liberal aid without a moment's hesitation. 
Money was raised for bounties, for compensation, and for the support of 
every poor soldier's family during his absence. Bills were emitted for 
£100,000, to be cancelled by a tax for nine years. There was not a jar 
among the legislators during the spring session of the Assembly ; they 
went to their homes at the end of a month, and all eyes were turned to- 
wards the movements which were to deliver New York and her sister 
colonies from a terrible foe. 

Three formidable expeditions were planned. That against Quebec was 
placed under the command of General Wolfe. One of the lords remon- 
strated with the king concerning this appointment ; Wolfe was represented 
as a " young, rash madman." " If he is mad, I hope he will bite some 
of my generals," was the vexed reply. General Amherst was to accom- 
plish the conquest of Cape Breton and vicinity. The third enterprise was 
against Fort Du Quesne and other French posts on the Ohio. 

Preparations went on vigorously and with great spirit. Abercrombie 
determined to lead the forces destined for Ticonderoga in person. Sir Wil- 
liam Johnson was obliged to defend the Mohawk Valley, where the French 
and Indians suddenly destroyed a beautiful town, massacring every in- 
habitant save two persons, in order, it was supposed, to create a diversion, 
and thereby enable them to repel the expected invasion. 

It was a proud and courageous army that rendezvoused at the head of 

Lake George, upon the site of the charred ruins of Fort William 
July 5. o > f 

Henry, on the morning of July 5, 1758. Seven thousand British 

troops of the line in full uniform, and upwards of ten thousand provin- 
cials, were about to embark for Ticonderoga. The spectacle was imposing. 
The flotilla consisted of nine hundred bateaux, and one hundred and 
thirty-five whale-boats, together with rafts to convey stores, ammunition, 
and artillery. The accomplished Lord Howe, distinguished alike for his 
gallantry and his daring, was the life and soul of the enterprise. Lord 
John Murray was there, with his Highland regiment in costume and with 



THE AHMED HOST UPON LAKE GEORGE. 675 

bagpipes. Young noblemen from < Mil England, qf chivalrous bearing and 
high promise, uodded their gay plumes in every direction, and an equally 
fine array of proud-spirited colonial officers paraded with their companies 
as if marching to a grand review. The armed host started from its re- 
pose at early dawn, and while the sun was peeping over the mountains 
and gathering up the mists from the crystal waters of the pretty seques- 
tered lake, embarked for the deeper solitudes, to settle in bloody conflict 
the disputes between the rival courts of St. James and St. ('loud, a thou- 
sand leagues away. 

Victory was a foregone conclusion. Every heart beat high with joyous 
expectation. The exhilarating notes of the trumpet, the roll of drums, 
and the swell of cheerful voices echoed from the hills as the barges 
streamed over Lake George, shifting and changing places as convenience 
required; and favorite airs from well-appointed regimental bands added 
every now and then to the hilarity of the occasion. With the bright- 
colored uniforms, the banners of the different regiments floating on the 
breeze, the dazzling glitter of polished steel, ami the Hashing of oars, the 
scene must have resembled some great aquatic pageant. 

About noon of the following day the troops landed in good order in a 
cove upon the west side of the lake, where they formed into four columns 
and began their march, leaving the artillery and heavy baggage behind 
until bridges could be built. Abercrombie intended to hurry forward and 
carry Ticonderoga by storm, before the reinforcements which were hasten- 
ing to the relief of Montcalm could arrive, lint he was inexperienced 
in the matter of pushing troops through dense woods, and over morasses 
covered with thick and tangled underbrush. The advance-guard lost 
their way, and fell in with a body of the enemy; in the skirmish which 
ensued Lord Howe fell. His loss threw a damper over the entire army. 
Abercrombie was irresolute, and uncertain which way to steer. His 
guides were bewildered; and he finally drew back his men to the shore 
of the lake. 

Meanwhile Bradstreet, with Rogers and four hundred rangers, pushed 
ahead, built bridges, and took possession of some saw-mills which the 
French had erected at the lower rapids, two miles from Ticonderoga. 
These rapids are where the waters of Lake George fall about one hundred 
and fifty-seven feet in their descent through the outlet into Lake Cham- 
plain. The energy of the provincial colonel reassured Abercrombie, who 
proceeded with the army to the saw-mills, and sent his chief engineer 
with a few rangers to reconnoiter the enemy's works. 

They returned just at dusk. The engineer reported that the defenses 
of the French would offer but a feeble resistance to the charge of the 



676 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

British bayonet. Stark, who had accompanied him, in command of the 
rangers, was of a different opinion. But Abercrombie gave orders to 
advance without artillery on the morning of the 8th, and carry the 
fortress at the point of the bayonet. As the troops were leaving the 
encampment they were overtaken by Sir William Johnson with three 
hundred Indians. The English advanced gallantly, but at the hrst onset 
were thrown into confusion by the branches of trees which Montcalm 
had placed for a hundred yards in front of the log breastwork. At a 
signal from Montcalm, who stood with his coat off in one of the trenches, 
a terrific fire was opened upon them from swivels and small-arms. In 
vain they rallied and attempted to penetrate through the tree-tops. 
The more they struggled the more they became entangled. Rank after 
rank was mowed down by the well-directed fire of the enemy. Driven 
from the left, they attempted the center, then the right, and at last re- 
treated in the utmost disorder, having lost in killed and wounded nine- 
teen hundred and sixty-seven men. 1 

Abercrombie had remained at the saw-mills, and upon the first news 
of the defeat started for Lake George. Montcalm spent the night in 
piling up more trees and otherwise strengthening his defenses, supposing 
that the main body of the English army would appear with their artillery 
in the morning. Instead, twelve thousand or more men were rushing in 
wild affright after their valorous commander. Reaching the landing 
about daybreak, they made for the bateaux, and would have sunk the 
greater portion of them, had not Colonel Bradstreet by his coolness con- 
vinced them that there was no immediate danger, and prevailed upon 
them to embark quietly and in good order. As for Abercrombie himself, 
he did not breathe freely until the waters of Lake George separated him 
from the enemy, and his artillery and ammunition were fairly on their 
way to Albany. 

This mortifying repulse created the utmost consternation throughout 
the colonies. Absurd rumors were quickly spread and religiously be- 
lieved. With the news of Lord Howe's death it was reported that five 
thousand English troops had been blown up with a mine at Ticonderoga, 
three thousand of whom were from New York and New Jersey. The 
inhabitants along the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys were seized with a 
panic. They supposed the French army was on its march to Albany. 

1 Among those killed in the attack upon Ticonderoga was Major John Rutherford, a mem- 
ber of the governor's council of New York since 1744. Pennsylvania Archives, III. 475. 
In the same fatal expedition Oliver De Lancey served under Abercrombie as colonel-in-chief 
of the New York forces, and for his valuable services, and "the singular care of the troops 
under his command,' 1 afterwards received the thanks of the Assembly. 



VICTORY OX THE OHIO. 611 

Some said it had already reached Fort Edward. The guards were doubled 
at Albany and Schenectady, and for additional protection, large numbers 
ill men, stationed in the block houses, kept stint watch day and night. 

Bradstreet felt the disgrace keenly, and importuned with such spirit 
to be allowed to lead an expedition to Fort Frontenac, that permission 
was finally granted. With a force of twenty-seven hundred provincials, 
eleven hundred of whom were New-Yorkers, and forty-two [roquois war- 
riors, he embarked in open boats upon Lake Ontario. On the 20th of 
August he made a successful attack upon the French fortress, which sur- 
rendered ; Bradstreet not losing a man, and having only two wounded. 
It was a victory which more than compensated for the defeai of Aber- 
crombie, as by it Lake Ontario was wrested from the enemy (nol one 
French vessel was left upon the lake), and all communication effectually 
obstructed between Canada and her posts in the Ohio Valley. 

Pitt understood the topography of America, and perceived at mice the 
value of Bradstreet's exploit. The next step was to obtain possession of 
Fort Du Quesne. General Forbes, who had the expedition in charge, did 
not move with his forces until autumn ; and even then his progress was 
attended with blunders and delays. He proposed to send fifteen hundred 
men in advance to open a new road, which he claimed would save sixty 
miles of tedious travel. Washington vigorously objected ; he was familiar 
with the country, and said such a course would be attended with danger 
and probable destruction. Forbes was taken ill on the way, and the con- 
tractors were remiss in furnishing the required number of wagons for 
transportation of stores. It was the middle of September when the army 
reached Raystown. Forbes sent forward an advance party of two thousand 
men, a portion of whom fell into an ambush and were completely routed, 
losing three hundred in killed or wounded. Nineteen officers were car- 
ried prisoners into Canada. Forbes was on the 5th of November within 
forty miles of his destination, but the weather was getting so cold that 
it was decided to go into winter quarters. Washington was annoyed 
beyond measure at such a turn in events. He learned from prisoners 
that the garrison at Fort On Quesne was in no condition to resist an 
attack, and finally obtained permission to push on with his Virginians, 
while the main army should follow in the rear. He infused life and 
energy into the faltering soldiery, and was soon within sight of the fort, 
or (if what had been the fort, for the French garrison, numbering scarcely 
five hundred, and meagerly supplied with provisions, had set the fort mi 
tire at the approach of the English, and fled in terror down the Ohio, In 
honor of the statesman across the water through whose agency the fort 
had fallen, the post was called Pittsburg. 



678 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

In scenes such as these were America's future heroes being educated. 
Washington made good use of his opportunities, and carefully noted the 
failures and their causes, which attended t he movements of the British 
generals. Warfare among the wilds of this continent differed materially 
from warfare in the Old World, and military tactics must be revised when 
the foe carried a tomahawk and was likely to spring into view in the most 
unexpected places. The arrogance of those who held royal commissions 
was painfully offensive. They refused counsel from the men who were 
familiar with the Indian paths and the savage character. They snubbed 
their equals in rank when the latter happened to be of the provincial 
service, and refused to obey their superiors. Washington, at the head 
of the Virginia forces, experienced so much embarrassment from repeated 
acts of this character, that the year before he had promptly determined 
to resign his commission, unless the difficulties were removed. It was 
for this purpose that he made his famous journey of five hundred miles 
to Boston on horseback, to confer with Lord Loudoun, then commander- 
in-chief. It was in winter-time, and he was absent from his post seven 
weeks. He spent ten days in Boston, and was treated with distinguished 
courtesy. He attended the meetings of the General Court, and listened 
to the discussions of military affairs. In the main object of his trip he 
was eminently successful. He stopped in New York both on his way to 
and from Boston, and was cordially entertained by Colonel Beverly Rob- 
inson, who had been his schoolmate and boyhood's friend in Virginia. 
This was when he was reputed to have fallen in love with Miss Mary 
Philipse. 
1759. There was an election of a new Assembly in the beginning 
Jan - of the year 1759, De Lancey having dissolved (Decern lu-r 16, 
1758) the one elected in 175-. Fifteen new members were chosen, the 
Livingston party being in the ascendant. Philip Livingston, who was 
one of the most popular of the aldermen, was elected by the city, also 
Oliver De Lancey, John Cruger, and Leonard Lispenard ; William Liv- 
ingston was sent to represent his brother's manor ; Eobert E. Livingston 
and Henry Livingston were sent from Duchess County ; Philip Verplanck 
and Colonel Van Rensselaer were re-elected, and several others whose 
names have already become famdiar to the reader. William Nicoll was 
chosen speaker. John Watts and William Walton had recently been 
elected to the Council. 

Party spirit, however, wellnigh exhausted itself at the polls. When 
the Assembly was convened the wheels of government rolled smoothly. 
Both branches of the Legislature saw that their very existence was at 
stake, and that it would be folly to waste time and energy in party 



GENERAL AMHERST. 679 

wrangles. Abercrombie had been recalled, which was exceedingly grati- 
fying. Sir Jeffrey Amherst had been appointed commander-in-chief of 
the king's forces in America, and he was believed to be specially fitted for 
the command. He was not a brilliant man. but America was tired of 
brilliant men, those who were continually devising fine plans and accom- 
plishing nothing. He possessed sound judgment and marvelous energy. 
He was slow, but reliable whenever necessity arose for decisive action. 
He had a squarely rounded head, firmly set on a rather large neck, cov- 
ered with short, crisp hair; his face was broad and bold; his eyes keen 
and always on the alert; his nose Grecian, prominent, and almost on a 
line with his slightly retreating and not very high forehead; his mouth 
firm, but pleasant; and his chin of the fighting mold. He inspired more 
confidence than any officer who had hitherto been sent into the country. 

He heard of the disgraceful disaster attending Abercrombie while at 
Cape Breton in the summer, and without orders sailed at once for Boston, 
from which point he marched with four regiments to Lake George, to 
reinforce his superior. He was in New York when he received official 
news of his promotion. Secretary Pitt required an addition to the Brit- 
ish army from the colonies, of twenty thousand men. The Assembly at 
once resolved to raise two thousand six hundred and eighty, as the quota 
of New York, offering to each a bounty of £15, with an additional sum 
of twenty shillings to the recruiting officer. The expenses were to be 
defrayed by the emission of £ 100,000 in bills of credit, to be sunk in nine 
years by a tax, beginning with £12,000, for the present year. Shortly 
afterward the Assembly, at the request of General Amherst, and upon 
his promise that it should be repaid in the course of a year, loaned the 
crown £150,000, in addition to the sums already voted for the expenses 
of the campaign. 

In May, Amherst removed his headquarters to Albany, where twelve 
thousand provincials had already assembled. Sir William Johnson was 
soon on the war-path with seven hundred brave-. The fall of Niagara 
swiftly followed, and the star of France in the western hemisphere was 
unquestionably on the wane. The praise of Sir William was upon 
all lips in both New York and England. The last remaining link in 
that chain of fortresses which united Canada with Louisiana was now 
broken. 

Amherst, meanwhile, with over eleven thousand men, was approaching 
Ticonderoga. The French saw that resistance was hopeless, and, July 22. 
blowing up their works, withdrew to down Point. On the 4th Aug. 4. 
of August, Amherst embarked on the lake, and presently held possession 
of Crown Point, which the enemy abandoned at his approach. 



680 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Amherst expected, on the reduction of Crown Point, to co-operate with 
General Wolfe by advancing upon Montreal. But he must first remove 
the French, who were strongly intrenched at the foot of the lake, and pos- 
sessed four large vessels heavily armed. 

Wolfe, at Point Levi opposite Quebec, watched daily for the arrival of 
Amherst in vain. Red-hot shot from his cannon set the lower town in 
a blaze, but the citadel above was likely to remain unharmed. One or 
two rash attempts had been made to storm the works, and numbers of 
brave men had fallen. It was nearly the middle of September when it 
was determined to scale the heights back of Quebec, and thus draw the 
French into an engagement. Wolfe, who was something of a poet, sang 
a pensive song of his own composition at his mess the evening after the 
hold scheme had been decided upon, which ran thus: — 

" Why, soldiers, why 
Should we be melancholy, boys '.< 
Why, soldiers, why ? 
Whose business 't is to die. 

To mislead the enemy, Admiral Holmes was to ascend the river in the 
ships. The ruse was a success. Montcalm, supposing that the English 
were on the point of raising the siege, sent off three thousand men for the 
protection of Montreal. That same clear, calm evening Wolfe was quietly 
embarking his troops in transports preparatory to the assault. Two hours 
before daylight, thirty flat-boats, containing sixteen hundred soldiers, left 
the vessels and dropped silently down with the current, followed at a 
short distance by the rest of the troops. 

The elements favored the weird enterprise. Heavy black clouds drifted 
over the sky, even the stars were hidden, and the darkness so dark as to 
be almost felt. The oars were muffled, and the roar of the river was the 
only sound which stirred the air. Wolfe was seated in the bow of one of 
the boats, with his arms folded and his head leaning upon his breast ; all 
at once he repeated in whispered tones the lines from Gray's Elegy which 
end with : 

" The paths of glory lead but to the grave." 

" ( rentlemen," he added, softly, " I would rather have written those lines 
than take Quebec to-morrow." 

The story is familiar to every American, how, in the early dawn of a 
hrilliant morning, five thousand English troops stood drawn up in order 
of battle upon the Plains of Abraham, and of the astonishment of Mont- 
calm, when swift messengers waked him from his slumbers with the 




6 § 



S 5 & 



■8 o £ 



GENERAL WOLFE. 



081 



startling news. "Surely," he said," it can be but a small party come to 
burn a few houses and retire ! " 

Ilu was speedily aware of the magnitude of 1 1 1 » - danger. At ten o'clock 



the t wo 

a r in i e s 
confront - 
ed each 
other up- 
on the 
p 1 a i n. 
T h e v 
t' ii u g li : 
with great 
fury. In t 
net charg 
received : 
wound in the wrist. 
A moment after he 
was struck with a 
bullet. He con- 
tinued cheering on 
his men, until a 

third ball stretched him upon the ground. He was tenderly carried to 
the rear, and asked if he would have a surgeon, to which he replied in the 
negative. One of the officers who was supporting him exclaimed, at the 
same instant, "See how they run!" "Who run?" demanded Wolfe 
with energy. "The enemy, sir: they give way everywhere." "Then tell 
Colonel Burton to march Webb's regiment down to Charles River, to cut 




The Assault upon Quebec. 



682 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

off their retreat from the bridge. Now, God be praised, I will die in 
peace." And, turning upon his side, the spirit of the brave commander 
took its final departure. 

Montcalm received his death-wound almost simultaneously with that 
of Wolfe. He was borne to the hospital, and gently told that he must 
die. " I am glad of it," he replied. When he learned that his life could 
not last over ten or twelve hours, he exclaimed, "So much the better; I 
am happy that I shall not see the surrender of Quebec." And he did not. 
When, at the earnest solicitation of the citizens, the white flag was hoisted, 
Montcalm was no more. 

The news of the capture of Quebec was haded with rapture in New 
York. There was no longer any question concerning the subjugation of 
the French in every part of Canada. The war was drawing to a close. 
The bells of the city rang in one grand, riotous tumult of joy, and bonfires 
and illuminations turned the night into a scene long to be remembered. 
But the gladness was saddened by the loss of the gallant Wolfe. And 
there were mourning hearts in many a household, for numbers of New York's 
noble sons had shared the glory, and were now sleeping in the soldier's 
grave. In England a day was set apart for public thanksgiving ; and 
Parliament commemorated the services of Wolfe, in overcoming almost 
insurmountable natural obstacles to overthrow Montcalm, by a monument 
in Westminster Abbey. An obelisk was also erected to his memory in 
New York, just east of the country-seat of Oliver De Lancey on the Hu< ls< in. 

Following shortly came the news of the rout of the French army at 
Minden, and the defeat of the French fleet off the coast of Algava. 
There was abundant cause for gratitude. And yet there was much more 
to be done ere the frontiers were safe ; the army must be supported, 
and the public needs supplied. 

In the early spring Boston suffered from a terrible fire, by which more 
1760. than two hundred families were deprived of shelter, and left in a 
March 2o. destitute condition. An appeal was made to New York for aid. 
With generous impulse, notwithstanding the low condition of the treas- 
ury, and the indebtedness to a long list of creditors through the extraor- 
dinary demands of the war, £2,500 were at once voted by the Assembly 
for the relief of the distressed city. 

When the British army returned to New York from Canada, it met with 
a triumphal reception. No American province had suffered as much 
from the incursions of the French, and consequently in no other capital 
were the demonstrations of joy at being relieved from the horrible terrors 
of savage warfare more solid and sincere. Sumptuous entertainments 
were given to the officers, which they regarded with amazement. New 
York seemed to have grown rich during the war, notwithstanding her 
outlays. 



COSTLY ENTERTAINMENTS. <>H3 

That privateering had proved a paying businesses shown by the list of 

vessels published from time to time in the newspapers of the period. 
The number of prizes brought into port during the first few months of 
the war were reported as including " thirty ships, four brigantines, eight 
scows, one barque, and several schooners and sloops " ; and during the 
same period, the New York privateersmen took twenty-six other prizes 
into British West India ports. Enticing advertisements were constantly 
appearing, such as, " All gentlemen, sailors, and others, who have a mind 

to make their fortunes, are desired to repair on board ship, which, 

mounting twenty-six guns, and carrying two hundred men, will be ready 
to sail in three weeks," — to intercept certain French fleets. The whole 
American coast from Maine to Georgia swarmed with daring, adventu- 
rous, and probably unscrupulous privateers, who preyed upon the com- 
merce of more than one of the European nations. French ships, tilled 
with the spices and coffee of their Indian provinces, and cargoes of West 
India sugars and rum, were sought with the more zeal; but rich Spanish 
galleons, laden with the wealth of Mexico and Peru, were not passet 1 1 ij 
in respectful silence. Private cruises were the fashion. Long experience 
in trading upon the coast of Africa made the merchants fearless and self- 
reliant. The age was agog with the spirit of financial adventure, and it 
is no matter of wonder that opportunities such as these, which were sus- 
tained by the highest authority, as well as precedent, were promptly seized 
and turned to account. 

There were many large importing merchants in New York at this date, 
notable among whom were Isaac and Nicholas Gouverneur, Robert Mur- 
ray, Walter and Samuel Franklin, John and Henry Cruger, the Living- 
stons, the Beekmans, Lott & Low, Philip Cuyler, Anthony Van Dam, 
Hugh and Alexander Wallace, Leonard and Anthony Lispenard, Theophy- 
lacl Bache, and William Walton. 

William Walton was one of those who feted the victorious officers. 
He was a very rich as well as a very hospitable man, and his expensive 
banquets were afterwards prolific subjects for criticism in England. His 
table was spread with the choicest viands, and "groaned under its weight 
of brilliant massive silver," while a forest of decanters graced the side- 
board, and costly wines flowed free and fast. 

He had recently (in 1752) built what is now known as the "Old Wal- 
ton House," in Franklin Square, then the continuation of Queen Street. 
It was the most costly private residence which had been attempted on 
this continent, It was English in design ; and it was as far as practica- 
ble an improvement upon all previous architecture. Its walls were as 
substantial as many modern churches. Its bricks, brown-stone water- 



684 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



tables, lintels, jambs, and decorations were all imported, as also its expen- 
sive furniture, which was in keeping with the style of the structure. 
The superb staircase in its ample hall, with mahogany hand-rails and 
bannisters, by age as dark as ebony, was lit for any nobleman's palace. 
It had a broad portico upheld by fluted columns, and surmounted by 
armorial bearings; and quaint heads cut from the freestone looked down 



M^m 



^SSmSm^M 




on House in 1760. 



upon the street from between the windows. The grounds extended to 
the water, and were laid out and cultivated with fastidious care. 

William Walton had acquired his fortune in part through an advanta- 
geous contract with some Spaniards at St. Augustine. He was the son 
of Captain William Walton, who was an enterprising builder of vessels, 
as well as a shipper of goods ; and who appears also to have sailed his 
own vessels on trading voyages to the West Indies and to the Spanish 
Main. 

He married (January 27, 1731) Cornelia, daughter of Dr. William 
Beekman and Catharine Peters de la Noy. His brother Jacob had, five 
years prior to this date, married Maria, the sister of Dr. William Beek- 
man, and daughter of Gerard Beekman and Magdalen Abeel. The two 
brothers were in partnership until the death of Jacob, in 1749. A son 



WILLIAM WALTON. 685 

of the latter, whose name was William, became the favorite and heir of 
the uncle. It was he, the younger William Walton, who in 1757, mar- 
ried the daughter of Lieutenant-Governor De Laucey, a lady whose for- 
tune was equal to his own, and whose tastes were in the direction of the 
same princely style of living which rendered the walls of the old edifice 
famous. 

William Walton (the elder) was genial, full of brilliancy, and a master 
of the arts of politeness. Dinners were his hobby, and he gathered ahout 
his table from time to time such of the celebrities of the Old World as, 
officially or in the pursuit of pleasure, visited the New. He was regarded 
as the first merchant of his time, and as a prominent legislator and an 
honored counselor, held an enviable political position. He died childless 
in 17(38. 

William Walton (the younger) was one of the most distinguished young 
men of his time. His alliance with one of the highest and proudest of 
the aristocratic families of New York, brought him early and conspicu- 
ously into notice. After the death of his uncle he associated himself in 
business with his brother Jacob, who had married a daughter of Hon. 
Henry Cruger, and the firm was known as that of William and Jacob 
Walton & Co. They owned large tracts of land in the northern part of 
the State and elsewhere. William Walton was one of the founders of the 
Chamber of Commerce, in 1768 ; was its treasurer in 1771, its vice-presi- 
dent in 1772, and its president from 1774 to 177.">. He was one of the 
first petitioners for the Marine Society, incorporated in I77i>. the object 
of which was to assist the widows and children of masters of vessels. He 
was one of the foremost in sustaining the measures adopted by the mer- 
chants to resist tlic Stamp Act. He was oue of the Committee of Corre- 
spondence of fifty-one, chosen in May, 1774, when the citizens learned 
of the closing of the Port of Boston; from the special recommendations 
of this committee sprung the First Continental Congress of 1774. He 
was one of the committee of sixty, chosen to carry out the non-importa- 
tion and non-exportation ordinance adopted by that Congress. And he 
was one of the Committee of Safety of one hundred, chosen in May, 177". 

In the final contest his family connections were divided, and he desired 
to take a neutral part. He' retired to his country residence in New Jer- 
sey, but lie was too marked a man to lie left in peace, and was compelled 
to return to the city when it was occupied by the British. Hence his 
New Jersey estates were confiscated. He remained in New York during 
the war, and devoted large sums of money to the relief of the destitute. 
He was one of the vestry named by Governor Itobertson, December 29 
1779, to look after such, and it was gratefully recorded of him that he 



686 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

was unceasing in his efforts to soften the miseries of the confinement to 
which the American prisoners were subjected. He was one of the mer- 
chants who resumed the meetings of the Chamber of Commerce, June 21, 
1779, and was again chosen vice-president in 1783. 1 

When Parliament manifested its disposition to tax the colonies in 
order to refund the debt incurred by the French war, poverty was pleaded 
as an objection. The lords sitting about the king's tabic laughed at the 
plea, and indulged in graphic accounts of the prodigal entertainments 
given in New York to the officers of the British army, making special 
mention of the display of silver plate at Walton's dinners, which they 
said was equal if not superior to any nobleman's. Such exhibitions indi- 
cated enormous riches. It was absurd for the colonists to waste their 
substance in mad extravagance ; there was wealth sufficient in New 
York alone to pay the whole debt of England. Thus they discussed the 
question over their wine, and thus they argued the next day in Parlia- 
ment. There was force in the logic, hence the long train of conse- 
quences. 

On the thirtieth day of July, New York was startled by the very sudden 
1760. and unexpected death of Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey. He had 
July 30. (ji ne d and spent the evening before very agreeably with Ex-Gov- 
ernor Robert Hunter Morris, William Walton, John Watts, and several 
other distinguished gentlemen, on Staten Island. He returned, and drove 
to his beautiful country-seat in the suburbs (just above Canal Street) 
about ten o'clock. He was, to all outward appearances, in ordinary 
health. He rose in the morning as usual. But about nine o'clock his 
little daughter found him reclining in his easy-chair in the library in a 
dying condition, too far gone for medical aid to be of any avail, his death 
having been occasioned by an affection of the heart. Friends were sum- 
moned. John Watts, and other gentlemen, mounted their horses and hur- 
ried to his side, but the life which had so long received the love and hom- 
age of the people had departed. The courtly home was full of sorrow, 
and the city grieved as it rarely ever was known to grieve for the loss of 
a public character. No American ever exerted a wider or more whole- 
some influence than De Lancey. No ruler of New York ever possessed 
to such a degree the elements of popularity. And no chief justice of the 

1 William Walton died August 18, 1796, aged sixty-five. (His wife, Mary De Lancey, 
died in 1767.) He left three sons, William, James De Lancey, and Jacob ; the latter entered 
the British navy, and rose to the rank of rear-admiral. He had one daughter, Ann, who 
married Daniel Crommelin Verplanck. The Walton name is now continued by the Rev. Wil- 
liam Walton, a son of the admiral. Historical and Biographical Sketches, in Chamber of 
Com mi- /■<•/• /,'.,.,-,/, |',\ John Austin Stevens 



FUNERAL OF DE LANGEY. 68.7 

province ever gave such universal satisfaction in his decisions. His polit- 
ical opponents were many, and often atrociously malicious, but they never 
attempted to deny his genius or his marvelous abilities 

The funeral was conducted with great pomp. Minute-guns from 
vessels in the harbor gave the signal, at 6.45 P. M., for the procession to 
move from the country-seat of the deceased ; and at the same moment 
minute-guns from Copsey Battery spoke out with solemn distinctnesss 
the years (fifty-seven) of the life which had passed away. The Battery was 
followed by the man-of-war Winchester, and the General Wall Packet, suc- 
cessively, each firing tii'ty-seven guns, as the sad column of over half a mile 
in length, proceeded towards Trinity Church. The order of procession was 
as follows : — 

1. The clerks of Trinity Church and St. George's Chapel in an open chaise. 

2. The Rector of Trinity Church in a chaise. 

3. The clergy of the several Protestant denominations of the city, two by two, 
in chaises. 

•1. An open hearse, bearing the coffin, covered with black velvet, richly 
adorned with gilt escutcheons. The hearse was drawn by a beautiful pair of 
white horses belonging to the illustrious departed, in mourning, and driven by 
his own coachman. 

5. The counselors in mourning coaches, as pall-bearers. 

G. The family and relatives in mourning coaches. 

7. The members of the Assembly in coaches. 

8. The mayor and aldermen of the city, two by two, in coaches and chaises. 

9. The lawyers of the city, two by two, in coaches and chaises. 

The procession paused opposite the house of Edward Willett, on Broad- 
way, and the coffin was placed upon men's shoulders ; the members of 
the Council came from their coaches and supported the pall. The 
mourners alighted, as also the long train of attendants and friends, and, 
walking in the order of rank, entered Trinity Church, which was brilliant- 
ly illuminated. Rev. Mr. Barclay conducted the funeral services, at the 
conclusion of which the remains were interred in the middle aisle, a few 
yards from the altar. 1 

De Lancey was the fourth ami last native New-Yorker who adminis- 
tered the affairs of the colony under the crown. He bad corresponded per- 
sonally as well as officially with the English statesmen during the critical 
period of the war with France, and his opinions had been carefully noted, 
and often quoted, at the Court of St. James. His death was deeply lamented 
there as well as in New York. It was spoken of as an irretrievable loss. 
His sister, Lady Warren, went immediately to Secretary Pitt, and asked 
1 Tlf New York Mercury, Monday, August 4, 17*ii>. 



088 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

that her younger brother, Oliver De Lancey, might be appointed to the 
vacant office. The minister received the application coldly. " 1 hope, 
Mr. Pitt," she exclaimed with warmth, " that you have had reason to be 
satisfied with the brother I have lost ? " 

"Madam," was the answer, " had your brother James lived in England, 
he would have been one of the first men in the kingdom." * 

The government of New York devolved upon Dr. Golden, as the senior 
counselor, until the wishes of the Ministry could be ascertained, who im- 
mediately came from his rural retreat where he had been for the past few 
years devoting himself to scientific and literary pursuits, and at the age 
of seventy- three, took his seat in the chair of state. 

Although the war had been nominally brought to a close by the reduc- 
tion of Canada, yet the French with malicious intent continued to gener- 
ate jealousies and hate among the Indians towards the English. And 
the conduct of adventurers and traders of desperate fortunes, who were 
rushing like a flock of harpies into the western wilds, was equally ill- 
fated in results. The savages considered themselves, and doubtless were, 
cheated and abused. No treaty having been made or presents sent them, 
a feeling of hostility grew, which every now and then broke forth in some 
shocking massacre. There was no peace on the western borders. An 
enterprising trader who penetrated the wilderness of Michigan as far as 
Michilimackinac, at the peril of his life, was waited upon by a Chippewa 
chief, who complained bitterly of the treatment his tribe had received 
from the English. He said : — 

"Englishmen! Although you have conquered the French, you have 
not yet conquered us ! We are not your slaves ! These lakes, these 
woods, these mountains, were left to us by our ancestors. They are our 
inheritance, and we will part with them to none. Your nation supposes 
that we, like the white people, cannot live without bread and pork and 
beef. But you ought to know that He, the Great Spirit and Master of 
Life, has provided food for us upon these broad lakes and in these 
mountains." 



1 This remark was mentioned by Lady Warren to the lieutenant-governor's younger son, 
John Peter De Lancey (who was educated at Harrow, and the military school of Greenwich, 
in England), by whom the anecdote was related to his son, Bishop De Lancey, and to his son- 
in-law, J. Fennimore Cooper. The great fault of Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey's charac- 
ter was indolence. He read, but did not like to write. He loved his ease rather than money. 
One of the sources of profit to the colonial government was the fees payable upon the signing 
of land-patents. At his death it is said that so many of these patents awaited his approval 
that the signing them gave a large sum at once to his successor, Cadwallader Colden. 
Memoir of the Honorable James De Lancey. By Edward F. De Lancey. Doe. Hist. X. )"., 
Vol. IV. 1037-59. 



SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON AT DETROIT. 689 

When it was rumored that Wyoming was being settled by people from 
Connecticut, the Indians claimed that their right to the property in that 
valley had uever been relinquished, aud that the settlement was in the 
very spot selected by the Six Nations for the residue of the Delawares, 
and other tribes, who were obliged to remove from the inner country 
on account of the increase of their people and the scarcity of hunting. 
Governor Hamilton of Pennsylvania was very much afraid it would occa- 
sion a fresh rupture, and wrote to General Amherst asking his interposi- 
tion. The massacre of Wyoming did not occur until 1778, but the 
settlement from its first inception was regarded with unappeasable rancor; 
and revenge upon it was a cherished luxury in the hearts of the infuri- 
ated savages. 

The Mohawks had their own peculiar wrongs to settle with the land 
speculators from Albany and Schenectady, whose frauds were remembered 
with an intensity increased by long meditation upon the subject. And a 
thousand other causes of irritation were keeping the whole savage atmos- 
phere in a tumult. 

Sir William Johnson, at the request of General Amherst, visited De- 
troit in the early summer of 1761, to consolidate a treaty if possible, regu- 
late the fur-trade, and learn what the French were about in that region. 
It was a perilous journey, as we may well suppose, lie was accompanied 
by his son, John Johnson, and by his nephew — afterwards his son-in- 
law — Guy Johnson, who acted as his private secretary, and by a large 
body of servants and military attendants. At Oswego, and other points 
on the route, they tarried to distribute presents, and in some instances to 
give silver medals, sent by Amherst as a reward for good conduct. ( lorn- 
plaints were everywhere poured into his ears about the haste with which 
the English were grasping lands, and he found that his journej had 
not been undertaken a moment too soon. A general rising up of the 
Indians throughout the whole western world had been skillfully planned, 
and the garrison and settlers were all to have been tomahawked and 
scalped. The arts by which Sir William had so long influenced the sav- 
age were never more successful than in this instance. His gilded trap- 
pings and pompous ceremonials were extremely fascinating to the red 
man's eye. An Eastern prince could hardly have moved through the 
country with more show and circumstance. On one occasion some depu- 
tations from the different tribes waited upon him bringing presents of 
maize. He reciprocated promptly with Indian pipes and tobacco, and 
then ordered a barbecue of an immense ox roasted whole. While waiting 
to arrange preliminaries lor the conference at Detroit, the evenings were 
devoted to dances. The French officers and their families participated, 



690 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

as well as Sir William and his private retinue. They would assemble 
about eight o'clock and dance until five the next morning. 

The council opened on the 9th of August, the firing of two cannon be- 
ing the signal which called the Indians together. Seats were prepared in 
the open air. The number of tribes represented was much larger than 
had been anticipated. They came from beyond Lake Superior, and from 
every point of the compass. They wanted to see with their own eyes the 
Grand Mogul, whose house was the " fireplace " of the dreaded Iroquois. 
When the assemblage was quietly seated, he appeared with his officers, 
all in gorgeous uniform, walked majestically to his place, and, amid pro- 
found silence, delivered his speech with that dignity of mien always 
enticing to an Indian. Several days were occupied. Every nation had 
some favor to ask of Sir William. The final result was an apparently 
amicable understanding, and it was believed if the directions given to 
the officers of the garrison were strictly obeyed, and no further provo- 
cations given to the Indians, they would not break the peace. Before 
Sir William started on his homeward journey, he gave a grand dinner to 
the people of Detroit, and closed the gala entertainment with a ball in 
honor of the wives and daughters of the officers. He halted on his return 
at Sandusky, to examine the proposed site for a blockhouse. At Niagara 
he was detained several days by illness. He reached Fort Johnson on the 
last day of October. 

Nor was it all peace in and about New York City. No little bitterness 
had been engendered by the system of impressemnt. The captains of 
British men-of-war claimed the right to board colonial vessels and take 
thence any number of men required to fill their quota ; or, failing to do 
this, they hesitated not to land and kiduap citizens for the service of the 
British navy. In August, 1760, a New York merchant-vessel arrived limn 
Lisbon, and a man-of-war lying in the harbor immediately sent a boat to 
board her and demand some of her men. The crew seized their own cap- 
tain and officers and confined them below, and then refused to admit the 
intruders. The captain informed them through the cabin window that he 
and his officers were prisoners and consequently unable to obey orders, 
but they opened fire upon the unoffeuding merchantman, killing one man, 
and wounding others. This was only one of many outrages, which stirred 
the indignation of merchants and traders, until forbearance almost ceased 
to be a virtue. 

And presently Dr. Golden was instrumental in an act which set not only 
the Assembly but the whole city and province of New York in a blaze. By 
the death of De Lancey the seat of chief justice was vacant, and a general 
wish was expressed that it should be at once filled. Golden was urged to 



BLOW AT THE NEW YORK JUDICIARY. 691 

appoint a successor without delay. Instead, he wrote to Halifax, asking 

him to nominate a chief justice. The result was the appointment of Ben- 
jamin Pratt, a Boston lawyer, not, as hitherto, " during good behavior," 
but "at the pleasure of the king." Judges Chambers, Horsemanden, and 
Jones refused to act longer unless thej could hold their commissions dur- 
ing good behavior. Vigorous thinkers and writers protested Loudly 
against this attempt to render the judiciary dependent upon the crown. 
Conspicuous among these were William Livingston, John Morin Scott, 
and William Smith. Massachusetts was at the same moment writh- 
ing under the " writs of assistance." which tin.' Ministry had recklessly 
determined to inflict upon the colonies. These writs were in effect 
search-warrants, designed to enable custom-house officers to break open 
with impunity any person's house tor the enforcement of the revenue. 
The fearless and impulsive James Otis had resigned his office of advocate- 
general, that untrammelled he might argue this case against the crown. 
He pronounced it the worst feature of arbitrary power, and his eloquence 
so stimulated the indignation of the people of Boston, that, when the writs 
were granted, the custom-house officers dared not in a single instance 
carry them into execution. Still less were the people of New York in 
humor for further encroachment upon their sacred liberties. The blow 
at the judiciary seemed to be the precursor of trouble indeed. Chief 
Justice Pratt was treated with indignity for accepting an office on such 
terms. Colden, for the part he had taken, lost many of his warmest 
friends. The Assemblv, in answer to the request of Colden that 

. Dec. 17. 

the salary of the chief justice might be increased, resolved, " that, 
as the salaries usually allowed the judges of the Supreme Court, have 
been and still appear to be sufficient to engage gentlemen of the first fig- 
ure, both as to capacity and fortune, in this colony, to accepl of these 
offices.it would be highly improper to augment the salary of chief justice 
on this occasion"; and the outraged and obstinate body actually went on 
to say they would not allow any salaries, unless the commissions of 
the chief justice and the other judges were granted during good behavior. 
The Lords of Trade were amazed when they heard of this " unduti- 
ful and indecent opposition to his Majesty's just rights and authority." 
They reprimanded the judges, who had in some degree countenanced the 
measure, and recommended temporary salaries from the quit-rents, 1 — 
which would be even more advantageous towards securing the depen- 
dence of the colony upon the crown, and its commerce to the mother 
country. It was further hinted that the latter course would insure 

1 Lords of Trade to Lieutenant-Governor Colden, June 11, 1762. New York Coll. .lAS'.S". , 
VII. 503, 504. 



692 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

judgments iu favor of the crown, against the great landed proprietors of 
New York, and serve to balance their power in the Assembly. 

Major-General Monckton 1 had been commissioned governor of New 
York shortly after Golden received the appointment of lieutenant- 
govemor (April 28, 1761), and in his forty-sixth instruction had been 
directed to annul, by every legitimate method, all " exorbitant, irregular, 
and unconditional grants of land." The Lords of Trade were of the 
opinion, and wrote the same to Colden, that the lieutenant-governor and 
Council of New York and prominent members of the Assembly were in 
league respecting measures for landed grants and settlements, which were 
for the good of themselves and families rather than the subject in general. 
Colden resented the imputation. He said he had never whde in the gov- 
ernment been interested in any purchase, or in any share or part of any 
purchase, of land from the Indians, either great or small. As to his chil- 
dren they were of full age and maturity, and not under his direction ; 
there was no reason to debar them from any privilege or benefit which 
was accorded to other of the king's subjects in the province, but at the 
same time he denied their having been concerned in any purchase of the 
kind since he was honored with the administration of the government. 
But he went on to explain how difficult it was for men of small means to 
improve land in the woods. In the first place, it was necessary to call a 
whole tribe together in order to buy a farm, whatever its size, and there 
must be several conferences, attended with great expense. Then it would 
be full three years before the land could be cleared and rendered self-sup- 
porting. The settlers were a great distance from the market, and there 
were numberless reasons why it was desirable for men of fortune to be- 
come enlisted in the purchases, and advance money for improvements, 
etc. He knew of only two of the acting counselors who had interested 
themselves in this manner, one of whom was Sir William Johnson. He 

1 Governor Monckton received his commission October 20, 1761, and was sworn into office 
with the usual ceremonies October 26. He, however, had received the king's permission to 
leave the province, and entered into nothing more than the necessary forms of government. 
He sailed from New York on the last day of November, in command of an expedition against 
the French and Spanish possessions in the West Indies ; for while England was rejoicing in 
the near prospect of peace, Spain had formed a secret alliance with France and declared war. 
Si venteen hundred and eighty-seven of his troops were native New-Yorkers, and among his 
officers were, General Lyman, the second in command at Lake George in 1755 ; the afterwards 
distinguished General Gates, who captured Burgoyne ; and Richard Montgomery, the hero of 
Quebec, a fen years liter. Monckton, in a letter to the Lords of Trade, November 10, 1761, 
acknowledging the receipt of his commission, said that Hon. Archibald Kennedy wished to 
retire from the Council on account of his advanced age, and that he might better attend to 
his office nl collector of the customs, and Joseph Reade, " a gentleman of fortune and every 
way qualified for the trust," was recommended to fill the vacancy. 



DEATH OF GEORGE IT.— GEORGE III. 693 

said that in his travels through the Mohawk country iu the execution of 
the office of surveyor-general, distinguished Indians had talked with him 
often, and discoursed with much veh in their land- 

trades; but he suspected that the interpreters did not always fairly rep- 
resent what the Indians said, and the Indians seemed to entertain similar 
suspicions, for they expressed by signs many times their earnest wish 
that they might understand the English language. All that he could 
learn with certainty was, that some persons had fraudulently obtained a 
conveyance from them, lmt he never could ascertain who the persons 
were, probably from the unwillingness of the interpreters to have the 
fraud discovered. Should the instructions he carried into execution, there 
was no predicting the calamities which might follow. Many of the 
patentees were men of wealth and influence, and would resort to extreme 
methods to circumvent the power of the governor. The boundaries of 
estates were indefinite, from whence arose great trouble; the running of 
intelligible lines by the king's surveyor-general seemed to he the first 
ary step towards the settlement of difficulties. 

George II., the aged King of England, had died suddenlj of apoplexy, 
on the morning of October 25, 1760; his grandson, then twenty-two 
years of age, while riding with the Earl of Bute, was overtaken with a 
secret message announcing the interesting intelligence that he was sov- 
ereign of the realm. The young man manifested neither emotion nor 
surprise, but, as an excuse for turning hack, he -aid his horse was lame. 
To the groom at Kew. he remarked, " I have said my horse was lame ; 
I toil iid you to say to the contrary." and he went directly to Carlton 
Bouse, the residence of his mother 1 

The changes in the Ministry which followed bore heavily upon the 
colonies. To place himself above aristocratic dictation, and dictation of 
any sort whatever, was the ruling passion of George III. The Rati of 
Bute, who was noted neither for vigor of understanding or energj of 
character, and who was without experience, political connections, or pow- 
erful family friendships, was his confidential companion. The young 
king was daring and self-willed. Bute was timid, aspiring, ignorant of 
men, ignorant of business, and obsequious. 

Negotiations for a general peace progressed slowly Choiseul, in the 
judgment of Pitt, was the greatest minister France had seen since the 
days of Richelieu. In depth, refinement, and quick perceptions he had 
no superior. But he was an agitator, lively, and indiscreet, often dis- 
cussing the gravest questions of state in jest. Pitt was always stately, 
and his nature was hard anil unaccommodating. He wanted to impress 
' IValpoles George III., I. 6. 



694 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the superiority of England upon the treaty of peace. The object of the 
war had been accomplished, but he delayed reconciliation for the purpose 
of making more extended acquisitions ; the fleet had sailed for the West 
Indies, and the chances of conquest were too great to be sacrificed. 

George III. mourned over the war, and asked his lords why it was be- 
ing continued for no definite purpose whatever. Newcastle and others 
intrigued against and were determined to thwart the policy of Pitt. Choi- 
seul covenanted with Spain to stand towards all foreign powers as one 
state, which was the basis of the famous treaty that secured to America in 
advance, aid from the superstitious, kind-hearted, and equitable Charles 
III. of Spain. George III. was married, on the eighth day of September, 
1761, to the not very lovely German princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a 
girl of seventeen, who was afterwards the well-known and correct Queen 
Charlotte. Five days later propositions came from France, which Pitt 
received with scornful irony. The negotiations were broken off. Thus 
war with Spain must be accepted. Pitt submitted to the cabinet his 
written advice to recall Lord Bristol, the British ambassador, from Ma- 
drid. The Earl of Bute, speaking the opinion of the king, opposed the 
project as rash and ill-advised. Newcastle and all the great Whig lords 
objected, until Pitt, standing with his brother-in-law, Temple, alone, de- 
feated, haughtily declared that he would not remain in a situation which 
made him responsible for measures he was no longer able to guide. 

On Monday, October 5, William Pitt, the greatest minister of his cen- 
tury, among orators the only peer of Demosthenes, and who, finding Eng- 
land in disgrace, had conquered Canada, the Ohio Valley, and Guada- 
loupe, sustained Eussia from annihilation, humbled France, gained 
dominion over the seas, won supremacy in Hindostan, and whose august 
presence at home had overawed even majesty itself, stood in the presence 
of the youthful king and resigned the seals of power. Little did he fore- 
see how effectually he had destroyed the balance of the European colo- 
nial system, and confirmed the implacable hostility of France and Spain to 
such a degree, as to leave England without a friend in its coming contest 
with America. 

The consummation of peace languished and was delayed. Bute became 
First Lord of the Treasury. He favored American taxation by act of Parlia- 
ment, and expressed his extreme delight when the measure of subjecting 
the halls of justice to the prerogative was adopted. "We shall have 
much less difficulty in making the colonies dance to the tune of obedi- 
ence than the croakers pretend," said the self-satisfied monarch of three- 
and-twenty to Bute, as he laughed over the probable increase of the na- 
tion's funds. 



SANDY HOOK LIOHTHOCSE. 



mi 



The death of the king dissolved the New York Assembly, and writs 
were issued for a new election returnable on the 3d of March, 1761. 
Seven new members only were chosen. The Livingston party was strong, 
but the De Lancey party hoped much from the superior address of John 
Watts, who was at all times very near the lieutenant-governor, and it was 
surmised that the latter, on account of his advanced years, might possiblj 
yield to a leader. 

The mayor and aldermen of the city were seriously agitated over a 
theater which was opened, under countenance of ('olden, on Beekman 
Street about this time. The mayor introduced the subject into the As- 
sembly, and tried to obtain the passage of a law prohibiting all dramatic 
performances within the city limits. Not succeeding in this, attention 
was turned towards the suppression of lotteries, whidh had become singu- 
larly common. But although a bill was passed subjecting all games of 
chance to a penalty of £ 3 (half to go the church wardens and half to the 
informer i, the lottery fever prevailed for many subsecpaent years. 

On the 8th of May the House passed the following : " An Act for rais- 
ing a sum not exceeding three thousand pounds by way of a lot- i?62. 
tery tor building a lighthouse." The merchants had petitioned the Ma y 8 ' 
lieutenant-governor for a lighthouse at Sandy Hook, and Colden strongly 
recommended the enterprise in his message to the Assembly in April, 
1761. Thus originated the Sandy 
Hook Lighthouse, which was first 
illuminated, for the benefit of mari- 
ners, in May, 1763. 

Shortly after a bill passed the 
House for a lottery to raise funds 
to complete the new jail. The 
corporation about the same time 
introduced lamps upon public 
lamp-posts, to supersede suspended 
lanterns, which had hitherto been 
the only mode of lighting the city. 
Fulton — then known as Partition J] 
Street — had long had a partial .aV 
existence, but, simultaneously with 
the introduction of street lamps, it 
was paved, as was also Frankfort 
Street. A variety of municipal < or- 
dinances marked this year, some regulating weights and measures, and 
others the markets, docks, etc. The modes of punishment inflicted upon 




Sandy Hook Lighthouse. 



696 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

criminals arrest the eye with wonder as we turn over the records. One 
instance must suffice : — 

"On Thursday, the 20th instant, between the hours of nine and eleven, .Mrs. 
Johanna Christiana Young and another lady, her associate from Philadelphia, 
being found guilty of grand larceny last week, at the mayor's court, are to he 
set on two chairs exalted on a cart, with their heads and faces uncovered, and 
to be carted from the City Hall to that part of Broadway near the old English 
Church, from thence down Maiden Lane, then down the Fly to the White Hall, 
thence to the church aforesaid, and then to the whipping-post, where each of 
them are to receive thirty-nine lashes, to remain in jail for one week, and then 
to depart the city." 

Kino's College was yet in its infancy. The excellent Eev. Dr. Samuel 
Johnson wrote to Archbishop Seeker, under date of April 10, 1762, that 
besides attending to his regular business of overseeing and governing the 
college, reading prayers, moderating disputations, prescribing exercises, 
holding commencements, and giving degrees, he was obliged to act as 
tutor to one and often two classes. He was pleased with the prospeel 
of release from the drudgery id' tuition through the appointment of a 
vice-president, who would be expected to live in a collegiate way at the 
common table (the expense being "six shillings per week for mere 
board"), but he regretted that Myles Cooper,, who had been named for 
the position, and who might otherwise suit very well, was not a little 
older. He requested that royal instructions might be given to the New 
York governors never to grant patents for townships, villages, or manors 
without obliging the patentees to secpiestrate a competent portion for the 
support of religion and education. He said that Dr. Jay, "an ingenious 
young physician," was going to England on business of his own, and 
would be employed to solicit contributions for the college. 

Dr. James Jay, afterwards Sir James Jay, Knight, was at this time 
thirty years of age. He was one of the elder brothers of Hon. John Jay. 
It was while on his visit to England as agent for the college that he 
received the honor of Knighthood. He became involved in a suit in 
Chancery arising out of the collections for the college, but returned to 
New York prior to the Eevolution. 1 He was the fourth son of Peter Jay 
and Mary Van Cortlandt (the daughter of Jacobus Van Cortlandt and 
Eve Philipse), and the grandson of Augustus Jay and Ann Maria Bayard 
(daughter of Balthazar Bayard and Maria Loockermans). The Jay family 
were among those who were driven from France through the troubles 
and violences connected with the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. 
Pierre Jay, the father of Augustus, was a wealthy merchant, owning 

1 He died October 20, 1815. 



THE JAY FAMILY. 



697 



vessels engaged in Spanish commerce. Upon one of these (laden with 
iron) he effected his escape, having found means of withdrawing his 
family secretly from his house, who, taking with them only a few arti- 




V.m Cortlandt Mansion at Kingsbndge built in 1748. 

cles of value, succeeded in reaching England. Augustus was at the time 
with one of his father's ships trading upon the coast of Africa, and re- 
turned to France without knowing of the troubles and flight of the family. 
He escaped to America, and took up his abode in New Rochelle; after- 
wards (in 1697) marrying into the Bayard familj as above. He was a 
successful merchant to the end of a long life. He died in New York 
in 1751. Peter Jay (born in 1704) was sent to England to be educated, 
and placed in the counting-house of his uncle, Mr. Peloquin of Bristol. 
He returned to New York, and was married in 1728; he also was a 
merchant ; he declined to participate in the political and other disturb- 
ances of the colony, and having acquired a competence retired from 
business before he was forty years old. He settled upon an estate in 
Rye, a few miles from New Rochelle; he had ten children, two of whom 
were blind, caused by the small-pox in infancy, and with the assistance 
of his cultivated wife, devoted his remaining years to their education and 
happiness. John, the eighth son, was named for Judge John Chambers, 
whose wife was a sister of Mrs. Jay. 1 He was now one of the students 
in the college, having entered in 1760, at the age of fourteen. 

1 Mrs. Abraham De Peyster, the wife of the treasurer (it will be remembered), was a sister 
'of Mrs. Peter Jay and Mrs. Judge John Chambers, 



698 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Before the end of 1762, Havana, then as now the chief place in the 
West Indies, with a harhor large enough to shelter all the navies of 
Europe, had been captured, and George III. had offered to return it to 
Spain in exchange for the Floridas or Porto Rico. France was humiliated, 
but, yielding to necessity, the preliminaries of peace, so momentous for 

1763. America, were signed between France and Spain on the one side, 
Feb 10. and England and Portugal on the other ; but it was not until 
February 10, 1763, that a formal treaty was ratified at Paris. 

" What can we do ? " said Choiseul, who in his despair had for a time 
resigned the foreign department to the Duke de Praslin. " The English 
are furiously imperious ; they are drunk with success ; and, unfortunately 
we are not in a condition to abase their pride." 

The English, indeed, assumed a very different position from that taken 
at Aix-la-Chapelle. It had been discovered, at a fearful cost of blood and 
treasure, that there was no safety along the American frontiers while 
Canada remained under French dominion. Hence the terms of the treaty 
were that the whole of Canada should be ceded to England ; also Nova 
Scotia, Cape Breton, and its dependent islands, and the fisheries, except a 
share in them, and the two islets, St. Pierre and Miquelon, as a shelter 
for the French fishermen. And it was expressly agreed that the boundary 
between the French and English possessions should forever be settled by 
a " line drawn along the middle of the Mississippi, from its source as far 
as the river Iberville, and thence by a line drawn along the middle of this 
latter river, and of the lakes Maurepas and Ponchartrain to the sea." 
France on the same day indemnified Spain for the loss of Florida, by 
ceding to that power New Orleans and all Louisiana west of the Missis- 
sippi, — boundaries undefined. 

England acquired Senegal in Africa, with the command of the slave- 
trade. France recovered in a dismantled and ruined state the little she 
possessed on January 1, 1759, in the East Indies. In Europe each power 
took back its own ; Minorca, therefore, reverted to Great Britain. 

" England," said the king, " never signed such a peace before, nor, I be- 
lieve, any other power in Europe." 

" The country," said the dying Granville, " never saw so glorious a war, 
nor so honorable a peace." 

" Now," said the princess dowager, " my son is indeed king of England." 

" I wish," said the Earl of Bute, " no better inscription on my tomb 
than that I was its author." 



OPINIONS OF FRENCH STATESMEN. 699 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

1763 - 1770. 
FORESHADOWING OF THE REVOLUTION. 

Opinions of French Statesmen. — Boundary Disputes. — Hon. James Duane. — In- 
dians on the War Path. — English Language in the Dutch Church. — The Mid- 
dle Dutch Church. — The German Reformed Church. — The New Jersey 
Lawyers. — Lord Grenville. — Stamped Paper. — New York Impatient of Con- 
trol. — First Committee of Correspondence. — Lieutenant-Governor Colden. — 
Right of Appeals. — Barre Speech. — Passage of the Stamp Act. — Sonsof Lib- 
erty. — Rev. Stephen Johnson. — Resignation of Stamp Officers. — The Stamp 
Act Congress. — Arrival of Stamps. — The Non-Importation Agreement. — 
Stamp Act Riot. — Victory of the People. — Sir Henry Moore. — Derates in 
Parliament. — Repeal of the Stamp Act. — New York Denounced as Rebellious. 
— New York Disfranchised. — Boston in Trouble. — The Founding of the Cham- 
ber of Commerce. — Repeals. — Tax Continued on Tea. — Death of Sir Henry 
Moore. — Emissions of Bills of Credit. — Violent Excitement. 

THE consequences of the entire cession of Canada are obvious. Eng- 
land will erelong repent of having removed the only check that 
could keep her colonies in awe ; they stand no longer in need of her protec- 
tion ; she will call on them to contribute towards supporting the burdens 
they have helped to bring on her; and they will answer by striking off 
all dependence," said the sagacious and experienced Vergennes, the French 
ambassador at Constantinople, when he heard of the conditions of the 
peace. 

" We have caught them at last," said Choiseul to those about him when 
Louisiana was surrendered, and turned over immediately to Spain. His 
eager hopes anticipated the speedy struggle of America for a separate ex- 
istence. 

During the negotiations for peace, the kinsman and bosom-friend of 
Edmund Burke had employed the British press to unfold the danger to 
the nation of retaining Canada ; and the French minister for foreign af- 
fairs frankly warned his adversaries, that the cession of Canada would lead 
to the independence of North America. 1 

1 Hans Stanley to William Pitt, 1760, printed in Thackeray's Chatham. 



700 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

The war was closed ; but a standing army of twenty battalions was to 
be kept up in America, and as the new Ministry were harping upon 
economy, it was designed that the expense should be defrayed by the colo- 
nists themselves. 

While the king and his lords were measuring the resources of their 
American possessions, and contemplating the enormously increased debt 
of England with dismay, New York was engaged in a spirited tilt with 
both New Hampshire and Massachusetts concerning boundaries. The 
latter continued to claim a part of the Livingston and Van Rensselaer 
manors. Governor Wentworth of New Hampshire granted lands west of 
the Connecticut River, in what is now Vermont, which were claimed by 
New York, until all at once Lieutenant-Governor Golden discovered that 
one hundred and sixty townships, each six miles square, were in the 
hands of speculators, and publicly offered for sale at low rates. 1 The 
quit-rents in New Hampshire were much less than in New York, which 
was an inducement for settlers to purchase under the former province. 
Colden, who had been forty years a counselor, and was conversant with 
every detail of New York affairs, was greatly disturbed. He wrote to the 
Lords that New Hampshire's claim must be resisted. If the controverted 
territory was given up, the crown would be deprived of a quit-rent 
amounting yearly to a sum greater, in his opinion, than the amount of all 
the quit-rents that would remain. He argued that the New England gov- 
ernments were formed on republican principles, while the government of 
New York, on the contrary, was established as nearly as possible after the 
model of the English constitution. It was therefore impolitic to permit 
the power and influence of New Hampshire and Massachusetts to extend 
to the injury of New York. 

John Watts wrote to Monckton, December 29, 1763 : — 

" We were yesterday in council declaring war against New Hampshire for 
scandalously hawking about townships to the highest bidders, and taking in 
every ignorant peasant both in this colony and the Jerseys. When will they 
make the colonies so happy as to settle their limits 1 " 

He wrote further, January 21, 1764 : — 

" The case from the beginning, as I understand, is simply this. Eternal 
quarrels subsisted between the borderers, in which several lives were lost, and 
commissioners were appointed by the different governments to settle a line of 
jurisdiction or peace, to prevent the effusion of more blood. I was one of them 
myself; but we could agree upon nothing, their demands were so high. We ar- 
gued lor land to the Connecticut River, they for land to the South Sea ; think 

1 Licutenant-llocernor t'olden to the Lords of Trade. 



HON. JAMES DUANE. 701 

how we were to meet .' Afterwards, when the quotas of the colonies were settled 
m a grand congress at Albany, the tiling was then more solemnly treated than 
ever, though to as little purpose; they would not allow us even the twenty 
miles from the Hudson River." 

James Duane, a rising young lawyer, who had married Mary, the elder 
daughter of Robert, third lord of Livingston Manor, in 1759, was one of 
the most efficient advocates employed in the vain attempt to settle the 
question of rights and jurisdiction. He was the life and soul of the private 
suits between land-owners on the borders of Connecticut, Massachusetts, 
and New Jersey; he defended New York against the claimants along 
Lake Champlain under the French grants ; he was so actively conspicuous 
in the New Hampshire quarrels that the coarse wit and abuse of the Ver- 
monters were showered bountifully upon him ; and he conducted much of 
the correspondence with the New York agents in England. It was he 
who drew up a concise and comprehensive summary of these agitations in 
a letter to the celebrated Edmund Burke. The king in council (in 1764) 
decided that the territory in dispute belonged to New York, and, within 
the next three years, Duane had purchased over sixty-four thousand acres 
among the Vermont hills, and founded the town of Duanesburg. 1 And it 
was Duane, who, during the Revolution, while the dispute about "the 
giants" perplexed Congress, was the main reliance of New York, and 
prevented, not without much difficulty, that body from yielding to the 
powerful influence of New England, and hindered New York from vindi- 
cating her rights by force. 

These disputes, when at their height, in 1763, nearly fomented a civil 

1 James Duane was born in the city of New York in 1733. His father was Anthony Duane, 
a prosperous merchant, and his mother was Altea, the daughter of Abraham Kettletas. He 
studied law in the office of James Alexander. He acquired such eminence in his profession 

before the Revolution as to be retained in many suits, which, on account of the principle in- 
volved, interested large masses of the people both in New York and New Jersey, — as, for 
instance, that against the proprietors of East Jersey ; that between the partners in the cup- 
per-mine company ; Trinity Church against Flandreau and others ; Sir James Jay against 
Kings College ; Sehermerhom against the trustees of Schenectady patent ; the king against 
Lieutenant-Governor Colden, in which case he was employed for the defendant, under- 
taking it after other counsel had declined through fear of Governor Monckton, who was 
really the plaintiff as well as judge ; the suit being for fees received by Colden, and tried be- 
fore Monckton, as chancellor. He. was also attorney for Trinity Church in suits against 
intruders upon the king's farm, so noted in the revived claims of the numerous descendants 
of Anetje Jans. His briefs and written arguments, in these and similar cases, display pro- 
found legal learning. His subsequent career will appear more fully in future chapters. The 
late James C. Duane of Schenectady was his son. His oldest daughter married General 
North of Duanesburg ; his second daughter married George W. Featherstonhaugh, an English 
gentleman, who was for some years consul at Havre. Another daughter married Alfred S. 
Pell of New York City. 



702 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

war. At the same time Sir William Johnson was actively espousing the 
cause of the Mohawks and German settlers at Canajoharie, in their chronic 
controversy with William Livingston over the " planting grounds of the 
Mohawks." This property was included in the old Livingston patent (ob- 
tained by Phdip Livingston, the father of William), to which reference 
has already been made. It was essential to a valid conveyance, that the 
sachems of a whole nation should affix their signature in full council. 
The Indians claimed that this had not been done, and collected of the 
Germans who were settling upon the land, annual rents either in corn or ' 
money. Matters had remained quiet because of the war, and for the 
reason that many of the Livingston heirs were minors. Since the winter 
of 1762 the settlers had been repeatedly served with ejectments by order 
of William Livingston. The affair was complicated through the conduct 
of George Klock, a German who owned a share in the patent, and acted 
as a<*ent for the Livingston claimants. He invited several of the Indians 
to his house, and, having made them drunk, persuaded them to sign a 
paper acknowledging the legality of the original purchase, which he for- 
warded to the governor. Johnson convened the Indians, and a long 
examination followed. The Mohawks persisted in asserting that the land 
had been stolen from their grandfathers and privately surveyed in the 
night; and that they had always been beguiled and ruined with liquor. 
Livingston finally executed a release, and the savages were satisfied. 

Almost immediately a knotty question came up respecting the rich 
lands in the beautiful Wyoming Valley. Agents from Connecticut ap- 
peared in Albany provided with £ 400 in money, and three barrels of 
pork, expecting to meet the Mohawk sachems, and enter into some ami- 
cable arrangement. The Indians were determined never to part with 
those hunting-grounds, and failed to put in an appearance. Sir William 
Johnson conversed with the gentlemen, who grew warm, and insisted 
upon the legality of their title by virtue of the old Connecticut claim " as 
far west as the Pacific Ocean," and expressed their determination to settle 
the valley and defend themselves. The Indians were full of wrath when 
the rumor reached them, and another convention was summoned. Pacific 
messages from Governor Fitch, of Connecticut, finally quieted them for 
the time. 

But dark and heavy clouds covered the western sky. Notwithstanding 
the general treaty consummated by Sir William Johnson at Detroit in 
1761, there was a savage design taking root to drive the English from the 
continent. Pontiac, the great king of the Ottawa Confederacy, was at 
work forming a league with the interior tribes, and in the spring of 1763, 
fell upon the garrisons along the lakes almost simultaneously, capturing 



ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN THE DUTCH CHURCH. 703 

seven or eight, and scalping every man, woman, and child to be found. 
Jn fierce resentment at the lordly persoE ige who had prevented the Six 
Nations from joining in the bloody work, Pontiac threatened the life of 
Sir William Johnson, and Johnson Hall was accordingly surrounded with 
a strung stockade flanked by two stone towers and guarded by soldiers, 
while the tenantry were promptly armed. Virginia, Pennsylvania, and 
Maryland suffered severely along their borders, but the influence of John- 
son over the Mohawks was so salutary that, with the exception of some 
slight incursions into Orange and Ulster Counties, New York was left 
comparatively unmolested. 

Monckton returned to New York from the West Indies, hut remained 
only for a brief period, leaving the government again in the hands of 
Lieutenant-Governor Colden. In March, 1763, Horsemanden succeeded 
Pratt as chief justice of New York. 

The rapid growth of Episcopacy and the alarming decrease in the con- 
gregations of the Dutch churches induced the consistory of the latter 
about this time to call a minister who could officiate in the English lan- 
guage. Intermarriages among the English and Dutch families had from 
the earliest settlement of New York been frequent, and the educated part 
of the community understood both languages. The young people dis- 
liked Dutch preaching, and were constantly straying to Trinity Church. 
There were many, however, who were wedded to old habits and customs, 
and opposed the step lest it should involve the loss of doctrines, mode of 
worship, government, and perhaps the very name of the church. In 
order to harmonize all difficulties, Eev. Archibald Laidlie was called, 
through the medium of the Classis of Amsterdam. He was a Scotchman, 
educated at Edinburgh, and settled over a church in Flushing, Zealand. 
He arrived in New York in the spring of 1764. A revival of 
religion almost immediately followed. At the close of a prayer- 
meeting one evening, a number of persons gathered about him saying : 
"Ah! Dominie, we offered up many an earnest prayer in Dutch for 
your coming among us ; and truly the Lord has heard us in English." 

Such as were blindly attached to the Dutch language refused to be 
comforted, and instituted a suit in the civil court, which was decided 
against them, and then they went over to the Episcopal Church, declar- 
ing that if they must have English they would have all English. 1 Peter 
Van Brugh Livingston said, in relation to the innovation: "Had this hap- 
pened in the city thirty years ago, the Dutch congregation would have 
been far more numerous than it is now. The greater half of Trinity 

1 Memoirs of Rev. John Henry Livingston, D. D., by Rev. Dr. Gunn, 64, 66, 67, Dr. 
Laidlie was made a D. D. by the College of 1'riuceton. 



704 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



Church consists of accessions from the Dutch Church." As for himself, 
although his mother was a Dutch lady, and the Dutch language the first 
he had been taught as a child, and still spoke with ease, he could not un- 
derstand a Dutch sermon half as well one in English, and of his children 
he said there was not one who could interpret a sentence in Dutch. 

In the mean time the Middle Dutch Church (the late New York 
City Post-Office) had been remodeled, the pulpit removed to the north 
end and canopied by a ponderous sounding-board, and galleries been 



built on the 
The new min- 

m o n in the 
consecrated 
that time ser- 
languages until 
only was 
Rev. 
co in in u- 
vorably, 
c hurch 
crowded, 
three 
t h i r d 
worship 
f o u n d 
saw, and 




east, west, and south sides, 
ister preached the first ser- 
English language within its 
walls, April 15, 1764. From 
vices were conducted in both 
1803, after which the English 
used. 

Dr. Laidlie impressed the 
nity fa- 



and the 


was soon 
Within 


years a 

house of 


^M£g§&S w a s 


ftj^SaBB' neces- 


&>|j^pf[|f in e a s - 
l:|f$"«V taken liy 
J3Z2L--L sisioryto 


j North 
s=- Church. 
1758 the 
in New 

City pur- 



Middle Dutch Church. 



an old building on Nassau Street, formerly used as a theater, for a 
place of worship, and established the German Reformed Church. The first 
pastor regularly called was Rev. Johan Michael Kern, a promising young 
divine of twenty-six, who had been educated at the University of Heidel- 
berg, and was noted for the excellence of his character and for his rare 
Christian zeal. He arrived in September, 1763. He from the first took a 
deep interest in the affairs of the new church. He was not satisfied with 
its isolated and independent character ; he told his elders and deacons that 
"independency in church was dangerous to both church and pastor." He 



THE GERMAN UK FOE ME I) CHUROH. 705 

did not rest until be had secured the union of the church with the Classisof 
Amsterdam and Synod of North Holland, June 18, 17G4. This brought it 
into connection with the Reformed Dutch Church of New York, and 
Dominie Kern was formally installed by the ministers of that organiza- 
tion, January 27, 1765. The old building wbere they worshiped was 
decayed and unsafe, and to save its falling they took it down. It was 
rebuilt, the corner-stone being laid by the young pastor, Marcb 8, 1765. 
The expense was more than the congregation were able to meet, there- 
fore a discouraging debt. The next year an appeal reached the Classis of 
Amsterdam for pecuniary aid. It was two years before an answer was 
vouchsafed. And this was the answer: "Though the condition and debt 
of your congregation are understood, and although all the circumstances 
are moving to pity, we cannot give any actual help, and recommend to 
your church sparingness and good housekeeping." 

"William Franklin was now governor of New Jersey. He had been ap- 
pointed through the influence of the Earl of Bute. He completed his 
legal studies in England, ;yid was admitted to the bar prior to 17<>2. lie 
also traveled with his father through England, Scotland, Flanders, and 
Holland (France was then closed to English tourists); he was present 
at the coronation of the blundering but well-intentioned George III., en- 
joyed considerable celebrity through his dexterous experiments, and had 
gained many friends among the learned and fashionable who courted his 
father's society. Bute affected literature and science. He was a collector 
of books, pictures, and curiosities. He was fond of chemistry, and printed 
several volumes of Natural History for private circulation. He courted 
Dr. Franklin, and they seem to have been intimate. In 1762 lie em- 
braced the opportunity of making the fortune of the son of the latter. 
The favor was unsolicited on the part of the Franklins. Lord Halifax. 
the Secretary of State, did not choose to disregard a recommendation of 
Lord Bute, then the prime favorite of the king, but it is said that he called 
the young gentleman into his closet, and subjected him to a rigid exam- 
ination, before bestowing the vacant governorship upon a native American 
of only thirty-two inexperienced years. The Penns were astonished and 
enraged. William Alexander (Lord Stirling) of New York was in Lon- 
don at the time, and spoke sneeringly of the appointment. But the 
people of New Jersey were well pleased, and wdien he reached New Bruns- 
wick, in February, 1763, he was escorted to the seat of government by 
"numbers of the gentry in sleighs, and the Middlesex troop of horse"; 
and the corporations of New Brunswick and Perth Amboy, the trustees 
of Princeton College, and a deputation of the clergy, presented him con- 
gratulatory addresses. 



706 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

The death of Chief Justice Robert Hunter Morris, in January, 1764, de- 
prived Franklin of one of the ablest counselors in the province. Smith 
(the historian) says that Morris went to a rural dance one evening, " led 
out the parson's wife, opened the ball, danced down six couples, and fell 
dead on the floor without a word or a groan or a sigh." Lord Stirling, 
who had returned to New York, immediately wrote, advising Hamilton to 
fill the office of chief justice as soon as possible, as it was dangerous to 
leave it open. Some unfit person might be sent from England. " If you 
fill it during pleasure, and recommend your appointment to the king for 
confirmation, it will most likely succeed." Among the few lawyers in 
New Jersey worthy of such a trust, he named Charles Reade, Philip 
Kearny, James Parker, and Cortlandt Skinner. Charles Reade was the 
fortunate candidate. Philip Kearny was an eminent and wealthy lawyer, 
who had filled many public stations. He lived in Amboy, in the house 
built by Governor Robert Hunter, which was described as having the 
" best conveniences of any house in town, besides a good stable for three 
or four horses," with large wine-cellar, etc. His son, Philip Kearny, 
married Susanna, daughter of Hon. John Watts, 1 the elder. His daughter 
Elizabeth became the wife of Cortlandt Skinner. 2 James Parker was ap- 
pointed counselor, in October, to supply the vacancy occasioned by the 
death of Chief Justice Morris. He was a man of remarkable strength and 
vigor of character, and wielded a healthful influence. His wife was Ger- 
trude, the sister of Cortlandt Skinner. She possessed many of the gifts, ex- 
cellences, and striking characteristics of her Van Cortlandt and Schuyler 
ancestry, and not a few literary memorials of her have been preserved. 3 

Meanwhile changes were taking place in the cabinet of George III. 
Lord Grenville was promoted to the head of the Treasury. One of his 

1 Philip, the son of Philip Kearny and Susanna Watts, married his cousin Susan, daughter 
of Hon. John Watts (the younger), and their son was Major-General Philip Kearny of the 
U. S. Army. 

2 The mother of Cortlandt Skinner was Elizabeth, the daughter of Hon. Stephanus Van 
Cortlandt and Gertrude Schuyler (see page 604). His father was the first rector of St. 
Peter's Church in Perth, Amboy. He studied for the bar in the office of the distinguished 
David Ogden, of Newark, New Jersey. 

3 The children of James Parker and Gertrude Skinner were, John, married Ann, daughter 
of John Lawrence ; Elizabeth, died unmarried ; Janet, married Edward Brinley, of Newport, 
R. I. ; Gertrude'; Susan, died unmarried ; Maria, married Andrew Smyth ; William, died un- 
married ; James, married, 1st, Penelope, daughter of Anthony Butler, 2d, Catharine Morris, 
daughter of Samuel Ogden, of Newark. He was member of Congress, and held many other 
public offices. His children were : James, a distinguished judge in Ohio, married Anna, 
daughter of Cleaveland A. Forbes ; William, married Lucy C. Whitewell, of Boston j Marga- 
ret Elizabeth, married William A. Whitehead of Newark ; Penelope, married Edward Dun- 
ham of Brooklyn, L. I. ; and Cortlandt Parker, the celebrated lawyer now residing in New- 
ark, married Elizabeth Wayne, daughter of Richard W. Stites of Morristown. 



LORD Gh'ENVILLE. 707 

first acts was to bring the scheme for taxing the colonies by means of 
stamped -paper into tangible form. 1 It provoked warm discussions, but 
the king favored it, and the majority of the lords urged its accom- 
plishment. Grenville was not altogether satisfied in his own mind that 
it was just to tax subjects without first allowing them representatives ; 2 
but he claimed that his measures were founded upon the true principles 
of policy, commerce, and finance. The laws had become as it were 
invalidated. He regarded the colonies merely as settlements in remote 
corners of the world for the improvement of trade. If the Acts of Navi- 
gation were disregarded, then England was defrauded of her natural 
rights. The monopoly of the exclusive trade with her colonies was no 
wrong. 3 On the contrary, the evasion of the laws in America was a theft 
upon the commerce and manufactures of Great Britain. It was estimated 
that of a million and a half pounds of tea consumed annually in the colo- 
nies, not more than one tenth part was sent from England ! Grenville's 
reformatory mind leaped into severe conclusions. Custom-house officers 
had been bribed and corrupted, 4 to the great detriment of the nation's 
purse; he would show the world that England had one minister who had 
nut (inly read her statute-book, but dared enforce her laws. 

An order sped across the seas, sending all officers of the customs to 
their posts, and their numbers were increased. Positive instructions 
reached them also to enforce the Acts of Navigation to the letter, with 
the warning that lie who failed or faltered was to be instantly dismissed 
from the service. 

There had been no such energetic and conscientious interpretation of 
duty since the time of Lord Bellomout. Grenville would have inter- 

1 A revenue from stamped paper had been proposed and considered many years previously. 
As early as April, 1734, Governor Cosby suggested to the New York Assembly, " a duty 
upon paper to be used in the Law and in all conveyances and deeds," as an experiment 
which might bring a considerable amount of money into the treasury. Journal of the Assein ■ 
bly, April 25, 1734. The Assembly did not adopt the measure. In 1744 a proposition to 
tax the colonies by means of stamped paper was made by the aspiring Lieutenant-' iovernor 
Clarke to Governor Clinton. But the latter, writing to the Duke of Newcastle on the 13th 
of December, 1744, describes the people among whom he lived, and doubts the expediency 
of the proposed measure. Letter nf Governor Clinton to Duke nf Newcastle, December 18, 
1744. 

2 Knox, Extra-official State Papers, 11, 31. Grenville to Knox, September 4, 1768. 
Grenville to J. PoumaJl. Grenville in. Cavendish. Burke's Speech on American Taxation . 
Works, I. 460. 

8 Bancroft, V. 159. Campbell, 73. 

* The collector's clerk of Salem, Sampson Toovey, declared, on oath, that it was customary 
for masters of vessels from Portugal to give casks of wine, boxes of fruit, etc., as gratuity for 
being entered as carrying salt or ballast only, when their cargoes were fruit, etc., and that 
the Custom-House officer shared his goodies with the governor. 



708 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

(licteil foreign commerce, and excluded every foreign vessel. His policy 
was narrow and restrictive. The merchants of New York, with their 
broader notions and their vessels traversing the ocean, regarded the 
sheltered harbor and the miles of safe anchorage in deep water along the 
shores of Manhattan Island, which invited the commerce of the tropical 
islands, of continents, and of the world, with a prouder sense of possession 
than ever before, and nurtured the spirit of antagonism which had long 
since taken root, but which now sprang into rank and rapid growth. 

Grenville foresaw difficulties. Hence he invoked the whole force of the 
kiiin to assist the revenue officers. He ordered the governors in each of 
the provinces to make the suppression of illicit trade — the forbidden 
trade with foreign countries — the constant and immediate object of their 
care. He directed all officers, civil, military, and naval, in America and 
the West Indies to co-operate ; the commander-in-chief in America must 
place troops at the service of the officers of the revenue whenever desired. 
The king in council sanctioned the arrangement. 

Admiral Colville was appointed commander-in-chief of the naval forces 
on the coasts of America, and each of his captains was fortified with a 
custom-house commission, and authority to enter harbors and seize sus- 
pected persons or cargoes. Stimulated by the prospect of large emolu- 
ments, they pounced upon American property as they would have gone in 
war in quest of prizes. Their acts presently became as illegal as they were 
oppressive. There was no redress. An appeal to the Privy Council 
was costly, difficult, and attended with aggravating and harassing delays. 

The long and bloody war with the Indians, which had desolated the 
Ohio Valley, Western Pennsylvania, Maryland, and even reddened the 
waters of the Delaware, abated with the going out of the year 17fi3. The 
French interfered, sent kindly messages to the infuriated chiefs, and suc- 
ceeded in checking their fierce wrath and hate towards the English. In 
a few months a definite treaty was signed, and the borders once more at 
peace. 

But the country beyond the Alleghanies was not to be peopled, so said 
the blind Ministry. Colonies so far remote might not be easy to con- 
trol. Let the strip of land beyond the present frontiers, " quite to the 
Mississippi, lie a desert for the Indians to hunt in and inhabit." 1 

The impossibility of restraining Americans from peopling the western 
wilderness was quickly apparent. In defiance of proclamations and reit- 
erated royal mandates, adventurers were constantly pushing beyond the 
boundaries and discovering wide and rich meadows and beautiful moun- 
tains, and starting plantations. There was fascination in hunting for 

1 Bancroft, V. 163, 164. Lord BarnragUm's Narrative. 



NEW YORK AND THE STAMP ACT. 709 

fresh lands, and there was personal freedom in cutting down forest- and 
building log-houses. To be a tree-holder was the ruling passion of the age. 

(irenville made a show of what he called " tenderness" to the Ameri- 
can colonies, by postponing the stamp tax fur a time. lb' also attempted 
to reconcile America to the proposed regulation. He argued the ques- 
tton with the agents from the colonies, and told them it was highly reason- 
able for dependencies to contribute towards the charge of protecting 
themselves, and no other tax was so easy and equitable as a stamp tax, 
or as certain of collection ; if, however, any other mode of taxation would 
l>e more convenient, and of equal efficacy, he would consider a proposi- 
tion. 

Vigorous and manly pens and voices were lifted against the measure 
through the length and breadth of the colonies. New York told England 
through her press, If tin colonist is taxed without his consent, he fill, per- 
Jiaps, »</ a change. New York had, ever since the acquittal of John 
Peter Zenger, in 1735, maintained a free press, and otherwise led America. 1 
New York had already been stricken dangerously through her commerce, 
and another blow- might prove fatal 

Never was the arrival of an English packet awaited with more feverish 
interest in New York, than in the spring of 17ti4. It came in 
June. The famous Stamp Act, of which the world has heard so 

1 In 1760 New York, by the protection of the new of the Sampson, expressed her abhor- 
rence of the impressment of seamen, and in 1764 betrayed a similar sjiirit of independence 
by the release of four fishermen. The account of the hitter occurrence appeared in Holt's 
New York Gazette and Weekly Post-Boy, July 12, 1764 : "We hear that on Tuesday hist 
[.Inly 10] four fishermen who supply the Markets in this city, were pressed from on board 
their Vessels, and carried on hoard a Tender from Halifax, belonging t.i one of his Majesty's 
■Ships on that Station: And yesterday morning [July 11] when the Captain of the Tender 
came on shore in his Barge, a mob SUDDENLY assembled and seized the Boat, but offered no 
Injury to the Captain, who, it is said, publicly declared he gave no such orders, and off red 
to release the Fishermen, and going into the I Coffee-house wrote and delivered an ( Mil, , for 
that purpose. Meanwhile the MOB with great shouting, dragged the Boat thro' the streets 
to the middle of the Green in the Fields [(My Hall Park,] when- they burned and destroyed 
her, and dispersed as suddenly as they met, without doing any other mischief; some of the 
i Company went on hoard the Tender with the i Captain's ordt r and brought the Fishermen on 
Shore. The Magistrates, as soon as they had notice, sent to disperse the MOB and secure the 
Boat, but the business was finished before they could interpose. The < Court met in the after- 
noon, but were unable to discover any of the Persons concerned in the .Mischief. 

"There was method in the movements of this mob whirl, so suddenly assembled and dragged 
a boat through the streets from the foot of Wall Street tothi I City Hall Park, — under the very 
noses of the military who occupied the Barracks on the line of i Chambers Street, — where they 
burned it, mi then dispersed as suddenly as they met, and no one knew or would tell the 
magistrates who they were or whither they went It is not improbable but that there existed 
at that time an organized body of minute-men who assembled on signal, and retired to their 
several occupations without fear of betrayal by their neighbors." — Dam son. 



710 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YOFK. 

much, and from which it is still reaping so bountiful a harvest, had actu- 
ally been introduced into the House of Commons. The atmosphere was 
at once charged, as it were, with angry resentment. " I will wear nothing 
but homespun," exclaimed one. " I will stop drinking wine," echoed 
another, amazed that wine must pay a new duty. " I propose," cried 
a third, "that we dress in sheep-skins with the wool on." Judge Rob- 
ert B. Livingston, 1 of Clermont, exclaimed : " It appears plainly that 
these duties are only the beginning of evils. The stamp duty, they tell 
us, is deferred till they see whether the colonies will take the yoke upon 
themselves, and offer something else as certain. They talk, too, of a land 
tax, and to us the Ministry seems to be running mad." 

Three months later news reached New York that the king in council 
had dismembered New Hampshire, and thrown into New York the coun- 
try west of the Connecticut River. " We are tried in Council about lands 
worse than ever," wrote John Watts. " It has been done without deter- 
mining property ; New Hampshire had granted a prodigious deal of it, 
and the proprietors think altering jurisdiction, neither should nor can 
alter property ; those who obtain emoluments by regranting think other- 
wise. Some to secure a title at all events renew their grants. Some 
are sulky and will not. Many are poor and cannot." It was thought 
this would circumscribe republicanism in New England, for Otis and 
others were speaking bold words concerning the impending stamp-tax. 
The views of Otis were printed and sent to the Massachusetts agent in 
London. They were reprinted there. " The man is mad," exclaimed one 
of the ministers. " What then ? " said Lord Mansfield, " one madman often 
makes many. Massaniello was mad ; nobody doubted it ; yet for all that 
he overturned the government of Naples." Boston was even then sign- 
ing a covenant to eat no lamb, in order to encourage the growth and 
manufacture of wool ; and men everywhere were entering into solemn 
agreement to use no single article of British manufacture, not even to 
wear black clothes for mourning. 

The English statesmen pinned their faith to the superior loyalty of 

1 Judge Robert R. Livingston (the same of whom mention has been made, page 598) and 
Margaret Beekman had ten children, four sons and six daughters. .lanet, born in 1743, 
married General Richard Montgomery, the hero of Quebec ; Robert R., born in 1746, was the 
celebrated chancellor of New York ; Margaret, born 1748, married Thomas Tillotson of Rhine- 
beck ; Henry R., born in 1750, was a colonel in the Revolutionary Army ; Catharine, born in 
1752, married Rev. Freeborn Garretson of Maryland, one of the pioneers of the Methodist 
Church in this country ; John K., born in 1755, was a prominent merchant ; Gertrude, born 
in 1757, married the celebrated general, politician, governor, and judge, Morgan Lewis ; Jo- 
anna, born in 1759, married the stirring politician Peter R. Livingston ; Alida, born in 1761, 
married the distinguished General John Armstrong, Minister to France, Secretary of War, 
etc. ; Edward, born in 1764, was the celebrated mayor of New York, law-giver, author, and 
statesman, who died in 1S36. 



NEW YORK IMPATIENT OF CONTROL. 711 

New York; and yet no colony was more impatient of control, and no- 
where was the spirit of resistance at that moment so strong. The mer- 
chants had been stung with the obstacles interposed in the way of their 
business, through the enforcement of obsolete, and, in their opinion, un- 
just laws, and the great landowners regarded arbitrary taxation as abso- 
lutely irreconcilable with their rights as British subjects and men. Of 
such elements was the Assembly composed. This body convened in Sep- 
tember. Among its members were Philip Livingston, the eminent mer- 
chant, John Cruger, Leonard Lispenard, Frederick Philipse, second lord 
of Philipse Manor, Philip Verplanck, William Bayard, Peter De Lancey, 
Daniel Ivissam, Henry Livingston, Judge Robert R. Livingston, and oth- 
ers of broad intelligence and sterling merit. It was in no humor to wait 
for concert of action among the colonies. It plunged straight into the 
very heart of the wrong. It adopted a memorial addressed to the 
House of Commons, declaring, in bold but courteous language, that 
" the people of New York nobly disdained the thought of claiming liberty 
as a privilege "; but founded the exemption from ungranted and compul- 
sory taxes, upon an honorable, solid, and stable basis, and challenged it, 
and gloried in it as their right ; and, wielding a blade of exquisite temper, 
New York, through her proud, impulsive Legislature, peremptorily de- 
manded a voice and vote in the administration of public affairs. 

On the same day a committee was appointed to correspond with Rob- 
ert Charles, the agent of New York in England, of which Judge Robert 
R. Livingston was made chairman. This committee was instructed to cor- 
respond also, during the recess of the House, "with the several Assem- 
blies, or committees of Assemblies on this continent," upon the subject of 
the Act commonly called the Sugar Act ; and concerning the Act re- 
straining paper bills of credit in the colonies from being legal tender ; 
and the several other Acts of Parliament lately passed with relation to 
the trade of the Northern colonies ; and specially of the dangers which 
threaten the colonies of being taxed by laws passed in Great Britain." 1 

Each of the other colonies admitted the supremacy of Parliament, 
and maintained the duty of obedience to its acts, however erroneous, until 
repealed. Massachusetts was stirred to a defense of chartered privileges 
New York had neither " chartered privileges " or " vested rights " to con- 
tend for, and firmly declared, from the very first, that she " would con- 
sider a violation of her rights and privileges, even by Parliament, an act 
of tyranny ; and would abhor the power which might inflict it; and as 
soon as able cast it off, or perhaps try to obtain better terms from some 
other power." Illustrious writers have from time to time ably discussed 

1 Journals of the Assembly. Bancroft. Dawson. 



712 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



the question as to whether Massachusetts or Virginia originated the Revo- 
lutionary Committees of Correspondence. It has not been the habit of 
New York to enter into fields of controversy upon such subjects. But the 
records of her Assembly dispose of the matter. The above Committee of 
Correspondence was appointed by New York, six years before Massachu- 
setts immortalized herself in that direction, and nine years in advance of 
Virginia. 

Lieutenant-Governor Colden was a conscientious servant of the crown. 
He was no favorite among the magnates of New York. There was some- 
thing in his nature which stimu- 
lated opposition. He was rigid 
and exacting, and set like flint in 
his own opinions. He had al- 
ways been more of a scholar than 
a statesman ; 1 he now seemed only 
zealous to promote the interests 
of the king. There was little 
confidence and harmony between 
him and the Council. He rarely 
saw any of the gentlemen except 
at formal meetings. John Watts, 
polished, witty, and sarcastic, wrote 
to Monckton, " 0, how we pant 
for a new governor's arrival ! even 
though he should be as hot as 
pepper-pot itself, 't is better than 
the venomous stream we at pres- 
ent drink from." Oliver De Laucey wrote to Monckton, thanking him 
for attention to his boys, who were in England at school, and added : " I 
am truly concerned that the present Ministry have such despotic influ- 
ence in Parliament as to carry measures that must bring immediate dis- 
tress on this country, and consequently so on our mother country. The 
situation we are in with Mr. Colden is deplorable, but can't last long. 
Government really suffers disreputation in such hands." 

1 Gillian C. Verplanck, writing of Cadwallader Colden, says : " For the great variety and 
extent of his learning, his unwearied research, his talents, and the public sphere which he 
filled, he may justly be placed in high rank among the distinguished men of his time." 
Among thi' products of his industry were : "Observations on the Trade of New York" ; "An Ac- 
count of the Climate of New York " ; " Memorial concerning the Fur-Trade of New York in 
1724" ; " History of the Five Nations" ; "State of the Lands in the Province of New York" ; 
"Reports on the Soil, Climate, etc., of New York" ; "A Botanical Description of American 
Plants" ; " Observations on Fever? " ; " Observations on Throat Distempers " ; " Reports on 




Portrait of Cadwallader Colden. 



THE RIGHT OF APPEALS. 713 

Golden wrote to the Lords of the faithfulness with which he had inves- 
tigated the " illicit trade " of New York. He said, since so many of his 
Majesty's ships had been cruising on the coast, the trade in teas and gun- 
powder from Holland and Hamburg had been effectually suppressed ; it 
was suspected, however, that tea in small quantities was imported from 
the Dutch West India Islands, the vessels running into creeks and har- 
bors, not navigable for ships of war, all along the New Jersey shore be- 
tween Sandy Hook and Delaware Bay, and northward, on the Sound, 
where there were many such harbors. He suggested that if ships were 
kept continually cruising above and below Sandy Hook it would be 
difficult even for small vessels coming from sea to escape them. 1 He re- 
ported the New York Custom-House officers as very diligent. He said 
the merchants complained bitterly that the same vigilance was not main- 
tained at the other ports; the merchants elsewhere on the seaboard were 
thus enabled to undersell them. Captain Kennedy was mentioned as in 
port with the Coventry, and about to purchase a swift running sloop, with 
which to "look into and examine the creeks and small harbors within his 
station." 

In the midst of the commotion about taxation, ('olden insisted upon 
the right of appeals from the common law courts of the province to the 
governor and Council, and finally to the king. It had been usual to bring 
questions concerning the law and the practice in these courts, by writs <>)' 
error, before the governor and Council and the king for final adjudication ; 
but never until now, had an appeal — by which the entire merits of the 
action, as well as the law and the action of the courts thereon, could be 
reviewed — been entertained by the provincial government. The judges 
refused to admit such appeals. The lawyers declared them absolutely un- 
constitutional. Chief Justice Horsemanden made a speech in Council giv- 
ing his reasons for refusing an appeal, which was printed ami circulated, 
to the infinite resentment of Colden. The latter talked about suspending 
the chief justice, but. knowing the temper of the gentlemen of his ( loun- 
cil, and despairing of their concurrence, referred the matter to the king. 1 

the State of Indian Affairs, 1751 " ; " Principles of Action in Matter, and the Motion of the 
Planets" ; " X Treatise on the Cure of Cancer" ; -'An Essay on the Virtues of the Plant 
called the Great Water Dock" ; "Observations on Smith's History of New York"; "An 
Introduction to the Study of Philosophy " ; "An Inquiry into the Principles of Vital Mo- 
tion " ; "A Translation of the Letters of Cicero " ; " An Inquiry into the Operation of Intel- 
lect among Animals " ; " Of the Essential Properties of Light " ; "An Introduction to the 
Study of Physic " ; and a great variety of other papers on public affairs, and scientific sub- 
jects ; also an immense correspondence with the most distinguished scholars of the age in 
Europe and America. 
' Lieutenant-Governor Colden to the Earl of Halifax, October 9, 1764. 



714 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Judge Robert R. Livingston, who had been appointed to the bench by 
Governor Monckton, wrote to the latter, that he was confident Golden had 
misinterpreted the royal instructions ; he believed it was the intention 
of the Ministry that New York should be governed by the laws of Eng- 
land ; and that those laws were better known and more strictly adhered 
to in New York than any other province. He could see no possible 
advantage to the crown from such irregular practice. "It is certainly 
better," siiid he, "that causes should be determined before those who 
make the law their study, than that the time of the governor and Council 
should be taken up with private concerns." 

Golden complained of the dangerous combination which existed be- 
tween the bench and the bar of New York. He wrote to the Lords that 
before the administration came into his hands the profession of the law had 
been encouraged, and had now gained pernicious influence. The judges 
and principal lawyers were proprietors of extravagant grants of land, or 
connected with such by marriage. They labored to excite popular dissat- 
isfaction and tumults, until it was no marvel that the people thought 
they could intimidate a governor, and were so foolish as to attempt to play 
a similar game upon the king's ministers and the British Parliament. 1 

Judge Robert R. Livingston said " the affair might have been managed 
with much less noise, if Golden's fondness for showing himself in law 
matters, superior to the whole body of the law had permitted." 2 He, 
Golden, spoke of juries with contempt, represented lawyers as regard- 
ing only their own interests, said judges were fond of power; and he 
treated the Council contemptuously because they differed widely from 
him in their judgments. 

Watts wrote to Monckton, that the Council had been accused by the 
" old mischief-maker " of opposing prerogatives, king's instructions, etc. ; 
but that the point rested upon the true legal meaning of an instruction, 
upon which solemn advice had been taken. The opinion expressed by 
the whole body of law in New York, had been supported by the opinion 
of the chief justice and lawyers of both Philadelphia and New Jersey. 
" Greater testimonies were not to be obtained on this side of the water." 3 
Referring to Golden, he said, " the old body was always disliked enough, 
but now- the people would prefer Beelzebub himself to him. Whatever 
be right, I wish the old fellow had had more sense than to bring such 
a critical thing into dispute in these sore times. It could easily have 

1 Tin- petitions and memorials that were sent to England by the New York Assembly were 
never seen by Colden. 

2 Robert R. Livingston to Gem-nil Monckton, February 23, 1765. 

3 Watts to Monckton, January 28, 1765. 



DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. 715 

been .avoided ; there never was a precedent since the colony was settled, 
but, like Satan, he would damn himself and his posterity to appear great, 
which he thinks such controversies make him, having an unbounded 
opinion of his own parts, and being ready to sink all America, right or 
wrong, for prerogative." 

William Smith, Jr., wrote to Monckton, that the " unseasonable attempt 
of Colden to introduce an innovation had inflamed the whole country." 1 
The people believed the crown was aiming to deprive them of their most 
valuable rights. Smith said it was vividly remembered that in Clinton's 
time Colden had been voted an enemy to New York; and now he was 
the object of suspicion and cordial hatred. 

The debate in the House of Commons prior to the passage of the 
Stamp Act was spirited and obstinate. It had been represented 1765. 
to the king by the Board of Trade, December 11, 1764, that the Feb - 
Legislature of Massachusetts, through its votes in June, and the Assem- 
bly of New York, by its address to Colden in September, had been guilty 
" of the most indecent respect to the Legislature of Great Britain." The 
Privy Council reported this " as a matter of the highest consequence to 
the kingdom." The American cpiestion was presented by George III. on 
opening the session, January 10, as one of " obedience to the laws and 
respect for the legislative authority of the kingdom." 

The Ministry resolved to be temperate but firm, and were complacently 
confident. Grenville listened to the remonstrances of the American 
agents in London, and abounded in gentle words. " Preserve modera- 
tion," he said. " Resentments indecently expressed on one side of the 
water will naturally produce resentments on the other. I take no pleas- 
ure in bringing upon myself the wrath of the colonists, but it is the duty 
of my office to manage the revenue." 

Si mie of the Lords scoffed at the idea of American representation, 
while Grenville secretly resolved to propose it indirectly. Others de- 
clared that America was as virtually represented in Parliament as the 
great majority of the inhabitants of Great Britain. Beckford, a member 
of Parliament for London, a friend of Pitt, and himself a large owner of 
West India, estates, declared boldly that " taxing America for the sake of 
raising a revenue would never do." Barre, the companion and friend of 
Wolfe, and sharer of the dangers and glories of Quebec, taunted the House 
with ignorance of American affairs, which brought Townshend, the reputed 
master of American affairs, quickly to his feet. At the close of an exhaus- 
tive argument concerning the equity of taxation, as proposed, he said, "will 
these American children, planted by our care, nourished by our indulgence 
' William Smith, Jr., to Monckton, January •_»."., 1765. 



7 lb' HI STORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

to strength and opulence, and protected by our arms, grudge to conHribute 
their mite to relieve us from the heavy burden under which we lie ? " 
Barre responded, with eyes emitting fire, and outstretched arm : — 

" They planted by your care ! No ; your oppression planted them in America. 
They fled from your tyranny to a then uncultivated, inhospitable country ; 
where they exposed themselves to almost all the hardships to which human 
nature is liable, and among others to the cruelties of a savage foe, the most 
subtle, and I will take it upon me to say, the most formidable, of any people 
upon the face of God's earth ; and yet, actuated by principles of true English 
liberty, they met such hardships with pleasure, compared with those they 
suffered in their own country, from the hands of those who should be their 
friends. They nourished by your indulgence! They grew by your neglect of 
them. As soon as you began to care about them, that care was exercised in 
sending persons to rule them in one department and another, who were, perhaps, 
the deputies of deputies to some members of this house, sent to spy out their 
liberties, to misrepresent their actions, and to prey upon them, — men whose 
behavior on many occasions has caused the blood of those sons ok liberty to 
recoil within them ; men promoted to the highest seats of justice ; some who, 
to my knowledge, were glad, by going to a foreign country, to escape being 
brought to the bar of a court of justice in their own. They protected by your 
arms ! They have nobly taken up arms in your defense ; have exerted a valor, 
amidst constant and laborious industry, for the defense of a country whose fron- 
tier was drenched in blood, while its interior parts yielded all its little savings 
to your emolument. And believe me, — remember I this day told you so, — the 
same spirit of freedom which actuated that people at first will accompany them 
still. But prudence forbids me to explain myself further. God knows I do 
not at this time speak from motives of party heat ; what I deliver are the genu- 
ine sentiments of my heart. However superior to me in general knowledge and 
experience the respectable body of this house may be, yet I claim to know more 
of America than most of you, having seen and been conversant in that country. 
The people, I believe, are as truly loyal as any subjects the king has ; but a 
people jealous of their liberties, and who will vindicate them, if ever they should 
be violated. But the subject is too delicate ; I will say no more." 

It was an unpremeditated speech, and was only regarded by the mem- 
bers at the time as a solid hit at Townshend ; but the remainder of the 
debate seemed languid, and at midnight the House adjourned. In the 
gallery sat Jared Ingersoll, the agent of Connecticut, who, delighted with 
Barrels sentiments, sent a report of his speech to New London, where it 
was printed in the newspapers of the town. May had not shed its blos- 
soms before the words of Barre were in every village and hamlet in Amer- 
ica. Midsummer found them distributed through Canada in French. 



PASSAGE OF THE STAMP ACT. 717 

And the name, Sons of Liberty, which had fallen so naturally from his 
lips, rang from one end of the continent to the other. 

The petitions of the colonists and the efforts of their agents were of no 
avail. The tide was irresistible. "We might," said Franklin, "as well 
have hindered the sun's setting." On the 27th of February the Stamp 
Act passed the House of Commons. It was to take effect on the first 
day of the next November. On the 8th of March, the bill was agreed 
to by the Lords without having encountered an amendment, debate, 
protest, division, or dissentient vote. 1 At that moment the king was ill ; 
absolutely insane. As he coidd not ratify the Act in person, the royal 
assent was obtained by commission ; the bit of parchment bore the sign 
of "his hand, scrawled in the flickering light of a clouded reason. And 
that was what gave validity to the instrument 

The stamped paper was duly prepared. Grenville adopted what he es- 
teemed the soothing policy of selecting the principal stamp-officers from 
among the Americans themselves ; and they were duly qualified " Now, 
gentlemen," said he, " take the business into your own hands ; you will see 
how and where it pinches, and will certainly let us know it ; in which 
case it shall be eased." 

It was generally believed, even by the American agents, that the stamp 
tax would be peacefully levied. No one imagined the colonies would 
think of disputing the matter with Parliament at the point of the sword. 
Otis and Fitch and Hutchinson had all admitted the right of Parlia- 
ment to tax, and had said, "If the Act becomes a law we have nothing 
to do but submit." Franklin wrote from London, "It will fall par- 
ticularly hard on us lawyers and printers," never doubting it would go 
into effect. 

The statesmen of England were jubilant X" tux was ever laid with 
more general approbation at the last. The Act seemed sure to enforce it- 
self. Unless stamps were used marriages would be null, notes of hand 
valueless, ships at sea prizes to the first captors, suits at law impossible, 
transfers of real estate invalid, inheritances irreclaimable. 

The news was received in America with disgust. "This single stroke 
has lost Great Britain the affection of all her colonies; what can be ex- 
pected but discontent for a while, and in the end open opposition ? " wrote 
William Smith, Jr. "The task may seem easier in theory than prove in 
the execution; I cannot conceive there will be silver or gold enough in 
the colonies to carry this Act through," wrote John Watts 

It was not long before the association known as the Sons of Liberty 
was organized, and extended from Massachusetts to South Carolina. New 

i Bancroft, V. 247. 



718 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

York was the central point from which communications were despatched. 
The post-offices were under the control of the government, and as the ut- 
most secrecy was esteemed essential, special messengers carried intelli- 
gence on all extraordinary occasions, and every effort was made to insure 
harmony in action. An agent in England furnished information of what 
was transpiring across the water. 

Outwardly New York remained quiet. New England was slow to 
anger, and the States farther south appeared to acquiesce. But it was 
the quiet which precedes the storm. While consternation took possession 
of men's minds all along the American seaboard, and threadbare and 
patched coats became the fashion, an American congress was proposed by 
Otis, without consent of the king, to deliberate upon the acts of Parlia- 
ment. Letters were sent to every assembly on the continent, proposing 
that committees should be appointed to meet in New York, on the first 
Tuesday of October. It was a novel proceeding. Many pronounced it vis- 
ionary and impracticable. But union was the hope of Otis. At the same 
moment Virginia was preparing, at least in theory, to resist the execution 
of the stamp tax ; resolutions were being passed in her Legislature, that 
the inhabitants of that dominion inherited from the first settlers equal fran- 
chises with the people of Great Britain ; that their rights had never been 
forfeited or given up ; that the General Assembly of Virginia had the sole 
right and power to lay taxes on the inhabitants ; and, furthermore, that 
no man in the colony was bound to yield obedience to any tax-law other 
than those made by their own General Assembly, and whoever should, 
by speaking or writing, maintain the contrary was an enemy to the 
colony. 

Simultaneously with these movements in Massachusetts and Virginia, the 
reprint of the Stamp Act was hawked through the streets of New York as the 
" folly of England and the ruin of America." The newspapers were filled 
with taunts and covert threats, and articles from the pens of able and intel- 
gent writers appeared in every issue. An essay, signed " Freeman," was 
continued through several numbers, and is supposed to have been written 
by John Morin Scott. 1 It contained sound sober reasoning. " It is not 
the tax, it is the unconstitutional manner of imposing it, that is the great 
subject of uneasiness in the colonies," said the lawyer. " The absurdity 
of our being represented in Parliament is so glaring that it is almost an 
affront to common sense to use arguments to expose it. The taxation of 
America is arbitrary and tyrannical, and what the Parliament of England 
has no right to impose." The English constitution was carefully analyzed, 
and declared to have within itself the principle of self-preservation, cor- 
i New York Gazette, Nos. 1170, 1171, 1173. 



REV. STEPHEN JO UN SOX. 719 

rection, and improvement, in short, real excellence, and no color of pre- 
text for oppression. The writer went on to say : — 

" If the interests of the mother country and her colonies cannot he made to 
coincide, if the .same constitution may not take, place in both, if the welfare of 
England necessarily requires the sacrifice of the most natural rights of the colo- 
nies, — their right of making their own laws, ami disposing of their own prop- 
erty by representatives of their own choosing, — if such is really the ease between 
Great Britain and her colonies, then the connection between them ought to cease ; 
and sooner or later it must inevitably cease. The English government cannot 
long act toward a part of its dominions upon principles diametrically opposed to 
its own, without losing itself in the slavery it would impose upon the colonies, 
or leaving them to throw it off and assert their own freedom. There never can 
be a disposition in the colonies to break off their connection with the mother 
country, so long as they are permitted to have the full enjoyment of those rights 

to which the English Constitution entitles them They desire no more : 

nor can they be satisfied with less." 

" Thus," says the distinguished Bancroft, " New York pointed to inde- 
pendence." 

These sentiments were seized and reprinted by nearly every newspaper 
in America ; they were approved by the most learned and judicious, and 
even formed a part of the instructions of South Carolina to her agent in 
England. 1 

The clergy, beyond any other class of men, nursed the name which was 
kindling. The first printed article pointing towards unqualified rebellion 
when the attempt should be made to enforce the stamp tax, was from the 
pen of Rev. Stephen Johnson, "the sincere and fervid pastor of the first 
church in Lyme, Connecticut." 2 "Bute, Bedford, and Crenville will be 
held in remembrance by Americans as an abomination, execration, and 
curse," he said. His stirring words obtained a place in the Connecticut 
papers, through the diplomacy of John McCurdy, a Scotch-Irish gentle- 
man of fortune, residing in Lyme. 3 Pamphlets of a similar character 

1 South Carolina to Garth, December 16, 1765. 

2 Bancroft, V. 320. Rev. Stephen Johnson was the son of Nathaniel Johnson and Sarah 
Ogden, of Newark, N. J., and the great grandson of John Ogden, who founded Elizabeth- 
town. 

8 John McCurdy was the "Irish gentleman" mentioned by Gordon and Hollister as 
"friendly to the cause of Liberty." He was an intimate personal friend ol Rev. Stephen 

Johnson. The McCurdy mansion in Lyme, Con tieut, where many of these papers were 

written, is still standing, an interesting historical landmark, and is occupied by the grandson 
of the patriot, Hon. Charles Johnson McCurdy, the eminent jurist, Lieutenant-Governor 
of Connecticut, Tinted States Minister to Austria, etc. Robert H. McCurdy, the well-known 
great importing merchant of New York < ity. is also a grandson. 



720 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

were privately printed and scattered broadcast. " Treason ! " exclaimed 
the officers of the government, when they saw them upon their tables, 
without knowing how they came there or by whom written. John 
McCurdy was in New York in August, and, learning that treasonable 
resolves were being handed about with great privacy, while as yet no one 
had the courage to publish them, he asked for, and with marked precau- 
tion was permitted to take a copy. He carried them to New England, 
where he caused them to be secretly printed, and immediately afterwards 
spread far and wide without reserve. 

" The weekly newspapers are filled with every falsehood malice can 
invent to excite the people to sedition and disobedience of the laws," 
wrote Colden. 

" You will think the printers all mad, Holt particularly," wrote John 
Watts to a correspondent in London. " He has been cautioned over and 
over again, and would have been prosecuted, but people's minds are so 
inflamed about this Stamp Act, that it would only be exposing the gov- 
ernment to attempt it ; what will be the end of all this bitterness, I own 

I can't see The wearing of what plain cloths the country affords, 

and being content with cheap dress, must affect the British manufactures 
exceedingly, and will raise a riotous mob there as soon as any one thing." 

The first popular outbreak was against the stamp-officers themselves. 
"Why allow a stamp-collector upon this side of the water at all?" 
whispered one and another. Grenville's policy in appointing Americans 
was but the addition of fuel to the fire. "It will be as in the West 
Indies, negro overseers are always the most cruel," was the cry. The 
names of the stamp-officers "were published in Boston, August 8. "Had 
you not rather these duties should be collected by your brethren than by 
foreigners ? " said a friend of Ingersoll, of Connecticut, who had just 
arrived, duly qualified. "No, vile miscreant! Indeed, we had not," 
exclaimed Dagget of New Haven. " If your father must die, is there no 
defect in filial duty in becoming his executioner in order to secure the 
hangman's fees ? If the ruin of our country is decreed, are you free from 
blame for taking part in the plunder ? " 

Within a week the effigy of the Massachusetts stamp-officer, Oliver, was 
swinging, one morning at daybreak, on the bough of a stately elm, near 
the entrance to Boston. It was tricked out with the emblems of Bute 
and Grenville, and thousands collected to gaze upon the grotesque specta- 
cle. Chief Justice Hutchinson ordered the sheriff to remove it, but the 
people, said " We will take it down ourselves at evening." And they did. 
A multitude, moving in order, bore the image on a bier directly through 
the Old State House, and under the Council Chamber itself, shouting at 



RESIGNATION OF STAMP OFFICER^. 7 J 1 

the top of their voices, " Liberty, Property, and no Stamps." They then 
built a funeral pyre fir the effigy in trout of (liners house. Eutchin- 
sou directed the colonel of the militia to beat an alarm. " My drummers 
are all in the mob," was the reply. Hutchinson tried to disperse the 
crowd, and was obliged to run for his life. < fliver prudently resigned the 
next day. Hutchinson was suspected of favoring the Stamp Act, and the 
rougher spirits wrought each other into a frenzy, and, collecting at night- 
fall, a day or two later, in a mixed crowd, destroyed las house, furniture, 
books, manuscripts, and scattered Ins plate and ready money; the morning 
found what had been his home, a miserable ruin. The citizens of Boston 
denounced such outrages, and in town-meeting the next day pledged 
themselves to suppress the like disorders for the future. But the old 
elm was solemnly named "the Tree of Liberty." 

Of Bhode Island, Gage wrote, "that little turbulent colony raised a 
mob likewise." And the " mob " compelled the stamp-master to resign. 
Maryland was in commotion : a party of lour or five hundred, al Annap- 
olis, pulled down a house which was in process of repairs, supposed for 
the sale of the stamps. Hood, the stamp-master, took refuge in the fort 
at New York. Connecticut waited quietly until Ingersoll was within her 
own borders. The famous crusade of five hundred mounted men from 
New London and Windham Counties, who met him in the woods of the 
Connecticut Valley, as he was riding towards Hartford to put himself 
under the protection of the government, lias been many times graphically 
portrayed; the scene also in the main street of Wethersfield, where they 
Compelled him to resign, and the manner in which they escorted him 
to Hartford. He rode a white horse. Some one asked him, jocosely, 
what he was thinking about. 

"Death on a pale horse, and hell following," was his quick retort. 

He was conducted to the Court-House, and ordered to read his recan- 
tation within heariug of the Legislature, and to shout " Liberty ami Prop- 
erty" three times, which he did, swinging his hat above his head to the 
entire satisfaction of his captors. Coxe, the stamp-master of New Jersey, 
renounced his place, and the whole South, beyond Maryland, passed reso- 
lutions to resist the operation of the law. The last to yield, north of the 
Potomac, was John Hughes, a Quaker of Philadelphia, who, as he lay 
desperately ill, heard muffled drums beat through the city, and the State 
House bell ring, muffled, and the tramping of people about his house to 
demand his resignation. Thus was his written promise, to have nothing 
to do with putting the Stamp Act into execution, extorted. The islands 
of Jamaica and St. Christopher, the colonies of Nova. Scotia and New 
Brunswick, even Canada, revolted at the degrading statute, and deter- 
mined to oppose it. 



7l>2 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

New York all this time was watched with intense interest. Aside 
from being the most important city on this continent, it was the head- 
quarters of the standing army of Great Britain in America. The fearless- 
ness of her press astonished not only her neighbors, but the statesmen 
across the water. " Ever since the matter of appeals was disputed last 
winter," wrote Colden to Secretary Conway, "the judges and lawyers 
have been publishing infamous articles to render me odious in the eyes 
of the people." James McEvers, who had been appointed stamp-distrib- 
utor for New York, was unwilling to take the stamps in custody on their 
arrival, and sent a letter of resignation to Colden, who was at his country- 
scat at Spring Hill, Long Island. 1 

Colden repaired immediately to his residence in the fort, and wrote to 
General Gage for a military force sufficient to effectually prevent sedition 
and tumult. " You shall have as many troops as you demand, and can 
find quarters for," was the response. At the same time Gage recom- 
mended the " severe exertion of civil power." " McEvers is terrified," 
wrote Colden to Conway, " but I shall not be intimidated ; I shall do 
everything in my power to have the stamped paper distributed at the 
time appointed by the Act of Parliament." In closing, he said : — 

" I have at all times endeavored to perform my duty, and in some instances 
where I perceived the doing of it would be greatly prejudicial to my private 
interest ; and I beg you will be assured, sir, that I shall continue to do so 
while the administration is in my hands." ' 

But Colden met with unexpected difficulties. The secret correspond- 
ence of the Sons of Liberty baffled his vigilance, notwithstanding 
that postmasters and postriders were brought before him, and examined. 
The Stamp Act Congress assembled in the City Hall on the 7th of Octo- 
ber, in spite of his vehement declaration that it was unconstitutional, un- 
precedented, and illegal, and that he should give it no countenance. 
The press of New York continued to deny the right of Parliament to tax 
the colonies, and a new paper, called " The Constitutional Courant," with 
the device of a snake, cut into parts (to represent the colonies), with 
"Join or Die " as a motto, actually appeared, and had an immense sale at 
the very moment the fort was being put in a state of offense and defense, 
and while Major James of the artillery was hurrying to increase his stock 
of powder, shot, and shells. 3 " Join or Die " was echoed far and wide, as 

1 ItcEversto Colden. Neiv York Col. MSS., VII. 761. 
- Lieutenant-Governor Colden to Secretary Conway, September 23, 1765. 
3 This paper was privately printed in Wooilbridge, New Jersey, and reprinted in both 
New York and Boston. Colden tried to discover the printer, but failed. 



THE STAMP ACT CONGRESS. 723 

soon as it was rumored that Major James had said he would "cram the 
stamps down the throats of the people with the end of his sword" " Three 
or four popular lawyers who have raised this spirit of insubordination 
cannot be curbed without proper judges," wrote Colden, despairingly. 
Even then the sterling merchants were carefully preparing an agreement 
to send no new orders for goods or merchandise, to countermand all 
former orders, and Dot even to receive goods on commission unless the 
Stamp Act was repealed. 

Xew York was represented in the Stamp Act Congress by Judge Rob- 
ert E. Livingston, Mayor John Cruger, Philip Livingston, Leonard Lis- 
penard, 1 and William Bayard. Its deliberations occupied three weeks. 
The members believed themselves responsible for the liberties of the con- 

1 Leonard Lispenard was born In the city of New York in 1 7 1 1; . He was the son of An- 
thony Lispenard, Jr., and grandson of Anthony Lispenard, a Huguenot refugee who ram.- to 
New York about the middle of the seventeenth century. He married, in 1741, Alice, daugh- 
ter of Anthony Rutgers. This lady inherited from her father, who died in 1746, one third of 
the extensive giants which he had received from George II. : and Lispenard purchased, Sep- 
tember 28, 174s, from the two sisters of his wife (one of whom was Mrs. Kev. Dr. Barclay!, 
the remaining two-thirds, thus becoming proprietor of the whole. This was the origin of what 
has since been known as the Lispenard estate. Lispenard was a large merchant, was alderman 
of the city for a dozen or more years, was one of the active members of the Stamp Act Congress, 
and was connected with nearly all the later important committees. He was a member of the 
Assembly from 1765 to 1767. He was one of the original members of the Society of the New- 
York Hospital, and one of its first governors from 1770 to 1777. He was also treasurer of 
King's College for a long period. J 1 i — country mansion was on Lispenard Hill, a handsome 
elevation overlooking what was afterwards St. John's Square. The center of this hill was the 
present junction of Hudson and Desbrosses Streets. He had three children : 1, Leonard ; 2, 
Anthony ; 3, Cornelia, who married Thomas Marston ol New York. Leonard Lispenard, Jr.. 
was born in 1743, and was one of nine who graduated from King's College in 1762. He was a 
merchant and member of the Chamber of Commerce. He traveled extensively in Europe, and 
was spoken of as a man of fine education and intelligence, and great symmetry of character. 
He was the proprietor of the property known as "Davenport's Neck" in New Roohellc, 
where he had a summer residence. He never married. His brother Anthony married his 
cousin Sarah, daughter of Andrew Barclay (merchant) and niece of Rev. Dr. liar lav. He, 
Anthony, was proprietor of extensive breweries and mills on the Greenwich road, near the 
present foot of Canal Street. He had six children, three sons and three daughters. They 
were, 1, Leonard (3d), who married his cousin (their mothers were both daughters of Andrew 
Barclay) Anna Dorothea, daughter of Theophylact Ba.hr. and left four children ; 2, Anthony, 
Jr., did unmarried ; 3, Thomas, died unmarried ; 4, Helena Roosevelt, married Paul Bache, 
son of Theophylact Bache ; 5, Sarah, married Alexander Stewart of New York, and was the 
mother of Lispenard Stewart; 6, Alice, died unmarried. The down-town streets, Leonard, 
Anthony (now Worth), and Thomas were named by Anthony Lispenard after his three sons, 
and Lispenard Street was so called by the corporation of the city in honor of the family. 
Bache Street, now spelled Beach, which was opened through the Lispenard farm, was named 
for Paul Bache. The Lispenards sleep in the family vault in Trinity Churchyard. Tie- hon- 
ored name is now merged in the families of Stewart, Webb, Nicholson, Livingston, Le Roy, 
ami Wintbxop, who are among the descendants in the direct line. Biographical and His- 
torical Sketches. Chamber of Comment Records. By John Anstin Stevens. 



724 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



tinent. They were of various characters and opinions ; they came from 
colonies remote from each other. " To do them justice," wrote John 
Watts, " I believe they have deputed some of their best men, and I im- 
agine the fruits of their deliberations will be sensible and moderate 
enough." Buggies of Massachusetts and Ogden of New Jersey believed 
resistance to the Stamp Act was treason. The debates were earnest and 
exciting. The validity of the Acts of Navigation was assailed, and it 
was finally determined to " insist upon a repeal of all acts laying duties 
on trade, as well as the Stamp Act." An address to the House of Com- 
mons, pointing out the disadvantages of the new measure, was penned in 
a clear, concise, and elegant manner by John Cruger. Every word and 
phrase was subsequently weighed with anxious care, some of the mem- 
bers constantly interposing scruples and timidities. It was finally signed 
on the morning of the 25th of October. 

While the Stamrj Act Congress was still in session a ship arrived laden 
with stamps. It was announced off Sandy Hook by the firing of cannon 
from a man-of-war in the harbor, about ten o'clock at night, October 23. 
The next day the ship was convoyed under the protection of the guns of 
the fort, by a war-vessel and tender, with great parade. A vast number of 
people beheld the scene and were furiously enraged. The shipping at the 
wharves lowered their colors in sign of grief. That night papers were 
posted upon the doors of every public office and upon the corners of the 
streets; the following is a fac-simile : — 






ARRIVAL OF STAMPS. 725 

" We will no more submit to Parliament than to the Divan at Constan- 
tinople," were the words uttered by one of the members of the Congress, 
which new from mouth to mouth. The excitement was intense. The 
whole city, as one man, seemed determined to prevent the landing of the 
stamps. 

( 'olden summoned the counselors together for advice, but of seven only 
three came, — Chief Justice Horsemanden, Judge William Smith, and 
Joseph Reade. These were ominously reticent. They warned the lieuten- 
ant-governor that the detention of the ship, which was a merchant vessel, 
rendered him liable to suits for damages trout every merchant who had 
any goods on board, and the cost of suits, and damages allowed, might 
amount to a very large sum. He was perplexed. He even accused the 
judicial gentlemen, who suggested the transfer of the goods to a sloop, of 
being desirous of beginning a riot. 

The continued preparations at the fort for defense were looked upon as 
an insult by the citizens at huge. " The Declaration of Rights and 
Grievances of the Colonists in America," which had just emanated from 
the Congress, was all very well, but the stamps must not be distributed 
nor business delayed for the want of one. 

On the 31st of October, the governors of the several colonies took the 
required oath to carry the Act into effect ; and yet there was not 
one who dared make the attempt. Colden retired within the fort, 
fully persuaded that he should overawe the people with his loaded guns 
and strong guard. "He was fortified as if he had been at Bergen-op- 
Zoom, when the French besieged it with a hundred thousand men," wrote 
John Watts, "which gave more offense ami made people's blood run 
higher than any one thing that happened." It was termed the " last day 
of liberty," and numbers of people were flocking into town: they came, 
so said Gage, by thousands. They uttered terrifying threats. They sang 
ballads as they wandered through the streets. The favorite was one of 
thirteen verses, with a chorus, which had been produced by no indifferent 
versifier, and printed and scattered broadcast a short time previously. A 
few specimen lines will suffice : — 

" Witli tin- beasts "t the « 1. we will ramble for food, 

And lodge in wild deserts and caves, 

And live poor as Job, on the skirts of the globe, 

Before we'll submit to be slaves, brave l»i\^. 

Before we '11 submit to be slaves," etc. 

In the evening the merchants met at Burns's tavern to consummate 
the first blow struck at tin; trade and industry of Great Britain. Over 
two hundred signed the non-importation agreement. " England will 



726 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 




suffer more by it in one year," wrote Judge Robert R. Livingston, " than 
the stamp tax or any other — should others be imposed — could ever 
recompense. Merchants have resolved to send for no more British manu- 
factures, shopkeepers will buy none, gentlemen 
will wear none ; our own are encouraged, all pride 
in dress seems to be laid aside, and he that does 
not appear in homespun, or at least a turned coat, 
is looked upon with an evil eye. The lawyers will 
not issue a writ. Merchants will not clear out a 
vessel. These are all facts not in the least ex- 
aggerated ; and it is of importance that they 
should be known." 1 

A large number of boys and sailors gathered in 
front of the house where the merchants were as- 
sembled, a rumor having been spread that some 
foolish ceremony of burying liberty was about to 
be executed ; but when they found that the mer- 
chants peaceably separated, and that there was to 
stamps, be no show, they proceeded through the streets, 

hurrahing and whistling, but did no further mischief than to break a few 
windows. 

Many of the merchants belonged to the secret order of Sons of Liberty, 
and to secure the co-operation of merchants throughout the colonies re- 
solved to appoint a special committee of correspondence. The danger 
appalled many who were nominated, and they withdrew their names. 
Finally, Isaac Sears, John Lamb, Gershom Mott, William Wiley, and 
Thomas Robinson volunteered their services, and were accepted. 2 

More fearless, energetic, or radical men for the service it would hardly 
have been possible to find. They left no stones unturned. On the 14th of 
November the names of the merchants of Philadelphia had been added to 
the formidable list, and on the 9th of December those of Boston. It will 
therefore be seen that the great system of intercolonial correspondence, 
originated in New York, and was sustained through the medium of regu- 
larly constituted committees. 

The memorable 1st of November was ushered in by the tolling of 
muffled, bells, and pennants hoisted at half-mast. During the day letters 
were sent and found, and papers stuck up all over the town, threatening 
destruction to every person and his property, who should in any way 
touch a stamp, or delay business for the want of one. A placard ad- 



i Mass. HM. Soc. Coll., Vol. X. 517. 

- Leake's 1. ift '.of General Lamb. Bancroft, V '. 355. Dawson's Sons of Liberty, p. 



STAMP ACT RIOT IN NEW YORK. 727 

dressed to the lieutenant-governor, which had been posted in the Mer- 
chants' Coffee-house all day, was delivered at the fort towards evening by 
an unknown hand. It assured Golden of his fate it' he did not that night 
make oath solemnly before a magistrate, and publish it to the people, that 
he would not execute the Stamp Act. 

The crowds of people increased as the day waned. Sailors came from 
vessels in the harbor, and country people were constantly arriving. 
Troops from Turtle Bay marched through town to the fort, a strong guard 
was placed about the jail, and the cannon of the merchants, at Copsy Bat- 
tery, near the foot of Whitehall Street, was spiked by order of Colden. 
This last act created fresh indignation. 

About seven o'clock an organized band of the Sons of Liberty appeared 
in the streets, led by Isaac Sears, and, proceeding to the common, erected 
a movable gallows, upon which they hung an effigy of Colden, and one of 
the Devil whispering in his ear. His Satanic- Majesty held a boot in his 
hand, designed as a satire upon the Earl of Bute. They marched down 
Broadway to the fort, attended by a most formidable mob, carrying can- 
dles and torches. Another party, meanwhile, had placed an effigy of Col- 
den upon a chair, with which they were parading through other streets, 
now and then firing a pistol at the effigy. In front of the house of 
McEvers, they halted and gave three cheers. 1 They placed the gallows, 
with the effigy swinging thereon, within ten feet of the fort-gate. The 
populace knocked, placed their hands on the top of the rani] parts, called 
out to the guards to fire, threw bricks and stones against the fort, and 
used the most offensive language. Not a word was returned, General 
Gage having prudently given orders to that effect. The mob broke into 
the lieutenant-governor's coach-house, and, taking out his chariot, dragged 
it through the streets to the common and back again. The foil fence 
facing Broadway had been taken down by the soldiers, in order to expose 
the assailants to the fire of the fort, which was another cause of wrath. 
Hence the boards were gathered into a pile, and the chariot, chair, gal- 
lows, effigies, and every movable which could be found in the stables, 
placed upon them, and the whole set on fire. 

The leaders evidently intended that proceedings should end here Bui 
the mob had become excited and unmanageable. They broke into the 
house of Major James 2 who was an object of hatred because of unwise 
boastfulness. brought out his rich furniture, — everything, indeed, which the 
house contained, — with which they made- a bonfire in front of bis door, 
drank his liquors, knocked to pieces the doors, partitions, window-, etc.. 
destroyed his summer-house, and desolated his fine gardens. "With the 

1 The house -I Mi Evers was on the site of what is now 50 Wall Street. Dawson, 
1 Vauxhall. 



728 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

exception of considerable noise, and an attack upon a few other houses 
without serious results, the mischief ended for that night. 

But messages and letters were sent to the fort in the morning, that 
nothing would satisfy the people save the surrender of the stamps, and 
that the fort would be attacked at night. The majority of the counselors 
stood aloof in this emergency. Those who gave advice were of the opin- 
ion that Colden had no legal authority to distribute the stamps in any 
event, A governor had been appointed for New York in the place of 
Monckton, and would shortly arrive ; they thought it better to do nothing 
about the stamps until then. 

Meanwhile the mayor and aldermen were in consultation at the City 
Hall, and were joined by Judge Robert R. Livingston, James Duane, and 
one or two other gentlemen of the law. They were extremely dejected ; 
they were powerless unless Colden would make concessions, and thus 
quiet the minds of the people. A message finally came from the 
fort, in the form of a placard, announcing that the lieutenant- 
governor would distribute no stamp papers, but leave the matter to be 
regulated by Sir Henry Moore ; and was willing to put them aboard a 
man-of-war, if Captain Kennedy would receive them, which he, unwill- 
ing to offend the people, declined. 

" We will have the papers within four-and-twenty hours," cried Sears 
to the multitude, who responded with shouts. "Your best way is to 
advise the governor to send the papers to the inhabitants," he continued, 
addressing the gentlemen who, by request of the corporation, were trying 
to put in the best light what Colden had condescended to say. Living- 
ston and Duane went personally to the captains of ships, presuming that 
disturbances would begin among the unruly sailors; and with others they 
patrolled the town. There were indications of a riot ; yet nothing serious 
occurred. The next day was Sunday. A letter was written to the Cus- 
tom-House officers threatening destruction if they did not clear out- 
vessels as usual. A paper was posted up in the Coffee House, telling the 
people not to mind the peaceable orators who had prevented their opera- 
tions on Saturday evening, but to be resolute, as they would be com- 
manded by men who had given proofs of courage in defense of their 
country. The time fixed for the assault was Tuesday, November 5, and 
the notices were signed The Sons of Neptmie. 

The secret unknown party which threatened such bold things sent 
dread and terror through the city, for an attack on the fort was but the 
precursor of civil war. Early Monday morning Colden summoned Mayor 
Cruger and some of the more prominent citizens to the fort, and reuewed 
the promise made on Saturday. The following notice was at once posted 
conspicuously : — 



THE VICTORY OF THE PEOPLE. 729 

" The governor acquainted Judge Livingston, the mayor, Mr. Beverly Robin- 
son, and Mr. John Stevens, this morning, being Monday, the 4th of November, 
that he would not issue, nor suffer to be issued, any of the stamps now in Fort 
George. 

Robert It. Livingston, 
John Crugbb, 
Beverly Robinson, 
John Stevens. 
The Freemen, Freeholders, and Inhabitants of this city, being satisfied that 
the stamps are not to be issued, are determined to keep the peace of the city, 
at all events, except they should have other cause of complaint. 1 " 

Before night, notices were posted directly under the above, in all the 
public places, inviting a meeting in the " Fields " on Tuesday 
evening, November 5, and requesting every man to come armed 
for the purpose of storming the fort. Golden wrote to the Marquis of 
Granby, Tuesday morning, " I expect the fort will be stormed this 

. . . , Nov. 5. 

night, — everything is done in my power to give them a warm 
reception. I hope not to dishonor the commission I have the honor to 
wear, and trust I may merit some share of your Lordship's regard." 

It was at this critical moment that the strong, fearless judgment of 
Mayor Cruger asserted itself. It was impossible to determine how for- 
midable the secret Vox Populi was ; at all events an attempt to remove 
the stamps from the fort by force could not fail to be attended with 
bloodshed. It was believed that the people would put entire confidence 
in the mayor and aldermen, and with good reason. They were known to 
be among the most candid and determined opponents of the Stamp Act 
Mayor Cruger, Isaac Roosevelt and others of the aldermen, had been 
among the first to sign the non-importation agreement. 2 Hence pro- 
posals were made to Colden in writing, that the city corporation should 
take the stamps into its own custody. 

Colden did not answer promptly, although he afterwards remarked to 
Judge Livingston that the proposition was agreeable to him. 3 A deputa- 
tion of merchants waited upon and urged him to deliver the stamps to 
the corporation. He pleaded his oath to the king, and the great con- 
tempt into which the government would fall by concession. His coun- 
selors advised him to yield. Still he hesitated. At four o'clock, P. M., a 
large crowd collected about the City Hall to learn results. The mayor, 
attended by the aldermen, visited the fort and warned Colden of the 

1 This notice is in the Archives of the New York Historical Society. 

- Isaac Roosevelt was a great sugar-retiner, and "abeloved, honored, tried, true, and con- 
sistent patriot." He died in 1794, aged sixty-eight years. 
• Judge Robert R. Livingston I" Moncktan, November 8, 1765. 



730 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

imminent danger of further delay. He was in great distress, and appealed 
to General Gage for counsel. The latter avowed the belief, that a fire 
from the fort would be the signal for "an insurrection" and the com- 
mencement of a civil war. " So," says Bancroft, " the head of the prov- 
ince, and the military chief of all America, confessing their inability to 
stop the anarchy, capitulated to the municipal body which represented 
the people." The promise was obtained that the stamps should be sur- 
rendered to the corporation. According to the newspapers of the day, 
the mayor and aldermen, attended " by a prodigious concourse of people of 
all ranks," soon after proceeded to the fort gate, and received the papers ; x 
the crowd gave three cheers, and after seeing the packages carried to the 
City Hall, dispersed. Tranquillity was thus restored to the city. 

The moderation of General Gage won a testimonial of gratitude from 
the city authorities, the original of which, in the handwriting of Mayor 
Cruger, is preserved. 

Henceforward nothing was talked of but non-importation. English 
merchants were notified to ship no more goods to America until the re- 
peal of the Stamp Act, as American merchants unanimously declined 
sell inn on commission after January 1, 1766. A market-place was es- 
tablished below the exchange for the vending of articles of home manu- 
facture, to obviate somewhat of the inconvenience of the course pursued. 

Sir Henry Moore, the new governor, arrived on the I3th ; in the 
same vessel came a second shipment of stamps. He had been 
' lieutenant-governor of Jamaica, in the West Indies (his birth- 
place), where he at one time suppressed an alarming insurrection of the 
negroes, for which he was honored with a baronetcy by the king. 2 He 
was an easy, sensible, well-bred, gentlemanly man, experienced in busi- 
ness. One of the first questions he put to the Council was, whether it 
would be practicable to issue the stamps. These gentlemen were, Chief 
Justice Horsemauden, Sir William Johnson, George Clarke, William 
Smith, John Watts, William Walton, Oliver De Lancey, Charles Ward 
Apthorpe, Joseph Eeade, William Alexander (Lord Stirling), and Roger 
Morris, — the two latter having been added to the board by the Earl of 

1 In the minutes of the Common Council of the City of New York may be seen a copy of the 
mayor's certificate of receipt, promising to take charge and care of stamps, etc., together with 
formal surrender of the stamps by Lieutenant-Governor < 'olden, with reasons given. 

a Sir Henry Moore was the grandson of John Moore, who settled in Barbadoes in the reign 
of Charles II., and, having amassed property, removed to Jamaica. Sir Henry Moore was the 
only native colonist who was governor of New York. He married the daughter of Chief 
Justice Long of Jamaica, and sister of Hon. Edward Long, Judge of the Court of Admiralty, 
and author of the History of Jamaica. N. Y. Col. AfSS., VIII. 197. Doc. Hist. N. Y., III. 
524 - 527. 



SIR HENRY MOORE. 731 

Halifax, in the recent instructions prepared for Moore. They replied un- 
animously, " No." 1 The next question was whether the counselors ap- 
proved of reducing the fort to its former condition, as he thought it wore 
"too hostile an appearance in a friend's country," and found that nothing 
would give greater satisfaction. Golden remonstrated, as he was alarmed 
for his personal safety if the gates were thrown open, but the fort was 
dismantled, notwithstanding, and the new governor suspended his power 
to execute the Stamp Act. The Assembly, which Colden had pro- 
rogued from time to time for more than a year, came together, and 
confirmed the doings of its Congressional committee. 

Everybody was in good humor. The citizens sent a congratulatory 
address to Governor Moore, and on the evening of the following day 
assembled in the Fields, erected pyramids to his honor, and concluded 
with a magnificent bonfire. 

The Sons of Liberty exercised the most consummate vigilance, how- 
ever. They waited upon Peter De Lancey, Jr., who had returned from 
England in the same vessel with Sir Henry, qualified as a stamp-dis- 
tributor in the place of McEvers, and convinced him of the danger of 
serving in that capacity. He accordingly resigned. Hood, the Maryland 
refugee, who had been protected by Colden, was known to be at the 
country-place of the latter on Long Island. He was visited and com- 
pelled to resign, and also to make oath of the sincerity of his renunciation 
(28th November). Fearing McEvers might resume his former appoint- 
ment in case the law should be enforced, he was called upon, December 2, 
for an actual and perpetual renunciation. The ship Mitierva, which was 
reported to have brought stamps, was boarded at midnight by a large force, 
and, notwithstanding the commander asserted that the obnoxious docu- 
ments had been lodged in the fort, it was searched from stem to stern. 
By secret advices from Philadelphia, it was learned that the stamps were 
shipped upon a brig, which, appearing soon after, was boarded, and ten 
packages found, seized, taken on shore to a convenient place and burned. 
At the same time news came that Lewis Pintard, a New York merchant, 
had sent to Philadelphia a bond and a Mediterranean pass on stamped 
paper. 2 The person from whom they had been procured was found, and 
compelled to deliver up all in his possession, which were also set on fire. 
Pintard, in order to elude the vengeance of the populace, declared on 
oath that he was not aware the documents were stamped at the time he 
transmitted them. 3 

1 Watts to Moncktmx, November 22, 1765. 

a This pass was a written permission from the Algerians to pass the Strait of Gibraltar into 
the Mediterranean Sea. 

3 Leake's Life of General Lamb. Holt's New York Gazette. Letters of Sons of Liberty in 
Philadelphia to tin .V. w York Committee, February 15, 1766. 



732 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



"The Custom-House clear vessels out, certifying there are no distribu- 
tions of stamp paper," wrote John Watts, " which is literally true, all of 

the distributors hav- 
ing resigned, and no 
others to be found 
hardy enough to ac- 
cept ; but in this 
port alone, men-of- 
war stop the ship- 
ping, unless a few 
vessels that steal out 
by night, which sours 
the inhabitants 
greatly, and it 's to be 
feared Captain Ken- 
nedy and they will 
be at odds soon, if 
they are not put 
upon a footing with 
their neighbors. The 
ill-boding aspect of 
things, cramping of 
trade, suppression of 
paper money, duties, 
courts of admiralty, appeals, internal taxes, etc., have rendered people so 
poor, cross, and desperate, that they don't seem to care who are their 
masters, or indeed for any masters." 

Presently, however, New York rose in such anger, that although the 
city was the headquarters of the army, the naval commander, alarmed 
by the prospect of riots, left the road to the ocean once more free, as it 
had all the while been from every other harbor in the thirteen colonies. 

The Ministry of England were amazed at the turn events were taking 
in America; and the only Ministry bent resolutely upon enforcing. the 
stamp tax had affronted the king and been dismissed from power. The 
greatest unanimity pervaded the colonies, widely sundered as they were 
from one another; nothing less than the absolute repeal of the odious law 
would be tolerated. They deprecated the necessity of declaring independ- 
ence, and yet abhorred and rejected unconditional submission; they re- 
pelled the name of "republican," as a slander upon their loyalty, and 
spurned "passive obedience." Meanwhile divisions confounded the coun- 
cils of the English nation, and the mind of the kinn' fluctuated like a 




Residence of Hon. John Watts, No. 3 Broadway. 



DEBATES IN PARLIAMENT. 733 

weather-vane. Rockingham declared that compulsory taxation was the 
doctrine of absolute monarchy, not of the British Constitution. The 
rightfulness of the Stamp Act was actually in dispute, and sentiment 
was about equally divided around the throne. On the 3d of October, 
the great statesmen of the realm agreed that the American question was 
too weighty for their decision, and that Parliament must be consulted. 

The news which came across the water distressed the king. The sur- 
render of the stamps at New York to the municipal government of the 
city, he regarded as " extremely humiliating." " This is undoubtedly the 
most serious matter that ever came before Parliament," he said, and was 
impatient to receive a minute report of all that should occur. 

There was a succession of stormy debates. Some claimed with great 
energy that the repeal of the Stamp Act would be a surrender of sover- 
eignty ; that there would be no submission until there was subjection ; 
that persons of note and learning had originated the mischief, and -had 
poisoned the common people until they were mad and infatuated ; that 
New York and Boston would be defenseless against a royal fleet, and, 
they being brought under, no other town or place could stand out. " 1 
hope," exclaimed the excited Bernard, " that New York will have the 
honor of being subdued first." He considered the metropolis as the 
source of the system of politics which pervaded the colonies; and on 
account of its superior rank and greater professions of resistance, as well 
as for being headquarters, should be made a shining example. 

"If England does not repeal the Stamp Act, we will repeal it our- 
selves," rang out from America upon the opening of the new year. 1766. 
The Sons of Liberty in New York, at their regular meeting on the Jan. 7. 
7th of January, resolved, that "there was safety for the colonies only in 
firm union of the whole"; and that they themselves "would go to the 
last extremity, and venture their lives and fortunes, effectually to prevent 
the Stamp Act." 

On the 14th, in the midst of a long discussion, Pitt unexpectedly 
entered the Chamber of Parliament. He was in feeble health, 
and it had been a long time since he had been there. All eyes 
were directed towards the venerable man of sixty, who had said, if lie 
" could crawl or be earned, he would deliver his mind and heart upon the 
state of America." Nugent was just at the moment insisting that the 
honor and dignity of the kingdom obliged the compulsory execution 
of the Stamp Act. When he had finished, Pitt arose in his place ; the 
agents from the colonies in the gallery gazed upon him as if he were their 
guardian angel. His speech, abounding in strong, bold argument, subtle 
sarcasm, and singular power, was reported by Moffat of Rhode Island, and 



734 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

shortly was within the reach of every reading man in America. A pause 
ensued when he ceased, and then Conway arose ; he not only endorsed 
the views of Pitt, but believed the latter expressed the sentiments of 
nearly all the king's servants, and wished it might be the unanimous 
opinion of the House. Grenville, who, sitting next but one to Pitt, 
had writhed under the lash, came to his feet and spoke warmly in favor 
of his pet scheme. "The seditious spirit of the colonies owes its birth 
to the factious spirit in this House," he said with emphasis ; and with 
much heat attempted to wipe off the aspersions cast upon his own con- 
duct. Several members arose after him, but the House clamored for Pitt, 
who seemed to rise. A point of order was decided in his favor, and the 
walls resounded with " Go on, go on ! " The assemblage was hushed into 
breathless silence ; floods of light poured from his eyes, and his voice 
trembled with feeling and passion, as he answered to the charge of having 
given birth to sedition in America. " Sorry am I," said he, " to hear the 
liberty of speech in this House imputed as a crime. But the imputation 
shall not discourage me. It is a liberty I mean to exercise. No gentleman 
ought to be afraid to exercise it. / rejoice that America has resisted." 
The whole House started as though hands had been joined and an elec- 
tric spark had darted through them all. He repeated the assertion, and 
went on to show the impolicy of all the proceedings of the late Ministry, 
adding : — 

" Upon the whole, I will beg leave to tell the House what is really my opinion. 
It is that the Stamp Act be repealed, absolutely, totally, and immediately ; that 
the reason for the repeal be assigned, because it was founded on an erroneous 
principle ; at the same time, let the sovereign authority of this country over the 
colonies be asserted in as strong terms as can be devised, and be made to extend 
to every point of legislation, that we may bind their trade, confine their manu- 
factures, and exercise every power whatsoever, except that of taking their money 
out of their pockets without their consent." 

He spoke like a man inspired, and his words swayed events. But the 
question of the repeal of the Stamp Act was far from being settled. It 
was argued and reargued, and the question of right came up ; only three, 
or rather Pitt alone, " debated strenuously the rights of America," against 
more than as many hundred. One long winter night wore away, until 
four o'clock in the morning, when " the resolution passed for England's 
right to do what the treasury pleased with three millions of freemen in 
America." Thus the colonists were henceforward excisable and taxable at 
the mercy of Parliament. 

The spring days were on the wing, and yet the Lords of England were 



REPEAL OF THE STAMP ACT. lob 

discussing the Repeal Bill. Pitt hobbled into the house on crutches, 
swathed in flannels, such was his zeal to defend America. He never 
spoke without fascinating his audience. Edmund Burke won undying 
fame through his friendship for the colonies. The repeal finally prevailed. 
On the morning of March 18, the king went in state to Westmin- 
ster, and gave his assent, among other bills, to what lie ever after 
regarded as the wellspring of all his sorrows, "the fatal repeal of the 
Stamp Act." He returned amid the shouts and huzzas of the applauding 
multitude. There was a public dinner of the friends of America in honor 
of the event ; Bow bells were set ringing, and on the Thames the ships 
displayed their colors. At night a bonfire was kindled and houses illu- 
minated in many parts of the city. 

In the general joy the fact was unnoticed that the king had affixed his 
seal to the Mutiny Bill, with the objectionable American clauses of tin- 
last year ; and also to the Act declaratory of the supreme power of Parlia- 
ment over America in all cjises whatsoever. 

Swift vessels hurried across the Atlantic with the tidings. On the 
20th of May, the news was announced in New York, and the city May 29. 
" ran mad " with gladness. On the 4th of June, the anniversary J™ *■ 
of the birth of the king, an ox was roasted in the Fields (City Hall Park), 
twenty-five barrels of strong beer were provided.and a hogshead of rum, with 
the necessary ingredients for making it into punch. A pole was erected, 
at the top of which were suspended twenty-five tar-barrels ; twenty-five 
cannon were ranged near by, and, amid the thunder of artillery, and the 
music of the band playing " God save the King," the standard of England 
was displayed, greeted by deafening shouts. The jubilee was attended by 
Sir Henry Moore, by the gentlemen of the council, by the mayor and 
aldermen of the city, and by the military officers then in New York. 

Such was the gratitude and good feeling, that at a large gathering short- 
ly after, at the coffee-house, it was resolved to petition the As- 
sembly to cause a statue to be erected to Pitt. John Cruger brought 
the matter before the House, and it was received with favor. Money was 
appropriated : but provision was first made for the erection of an eques- 
trian statue of King George III. in bronze, because of his benignity and 
condescension * ; the one of Pitt to be in brass. 

It was not long, however, before the chains which had been concealed 
in the concessions of Great Britain began to show themselves. Sir Henry 
communicated to the Assembly that he was instructed to enforce the Mu- 
tiny Act, which required America to furnish free quarters for the king's 

1 The statue of George III. (by Wilton, the celebrated statuary of London) was erected on 
the Bowling Green in 1770; that of Hon. William Pitt (by the same artist) in Wall Street, 
during the same year, in marble, however, instead of brass. 



736 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

troops. This was, in theory, worse than the Stamp Act. It threw the 
burden upon the colony which chanced to be the headquarters of the army. 
New York was that colony, and was in the dilemma of submittipg imme- 
diately and unconditionally to the authority of Parliament or taking the 
lead in a new career of resistance. The Assembly responded with a lim- 
ited Supply Bill, which displeased the governor, and which the king re- 
fused to receive. 

The soldiers in the barracks partook of the spirit of their officers, and 
were excessively insolent over the triumph of the citizens. On 
" e ' ' the 10th of August they cut down the liberty-pole which had been 
peaceably erected in June. The next evening a large number of persons 
assembled to reinstate it. The soldiers hovered about, interrupted pro- 
ceedings, and finally assaulted the unarmed people with drawn bayonets ; 
the latter retreated, but several were wounded, among whom were Isaac 
Sears and John Berrien. A complaint was entered, and the case tried 
before Mayor Cruger. The British officers refused to reprimand their 
men, but the flagstaff was again erected, witliout molestation, the mili- 
tary being restrained, as was supposed, by order of the governor. It stood 
until the 23d of September, when it was again prostrated. Two 
ep ' ' clays after, the people met and re-erected it. The soldiers did not 
interfere ; but they vented their ill-nature in so many irritating ways that 
the Billeting Act never found favor in New York. 

The Assembly had been prorogued to the 7th of October, and after- 
wards to the 6th of November. On the 17th, Governor Moore 
communicated the king's veto of the limited Supply Bill, also the 
instructions of Lord Shelburne, who emphatically declared that his royal 
master expected and required obedience to the Acts of the Legislature of 
Great Britain. It was four weeks before the House replied ; and then 
the tone of its message was very aggravating to the royal govern- 
' ment. It had exercised its own discretion, and contributed to the 
supply of two battalions and one company of artillery," refusing to be 
" guilty of a breach of trust," by imposing heavier burdens than the peo- 
ple could support. 1 It met the declaration of the supreme power of 
Parliament by " the principle of the supreme power of the people in all 
cases whatsoever." 

Spring brought fresh disturbances to the metropolis. The anniver- 

1767. sary of the repeal of the Stamp Act was celebrated with enthusi- 

March is. asm. As the soldiers could not endure the sight of processions in 

which they had no part, they stole out at night and cut down the liberty- 

1 Address of the Assembly to Governor Moore, William Nicoll, speaker, delivered Decem- 
ber 18, 1766. Holt's New York Gazette, 1251, December 24, 1766. 



NEW YORK DENOUNCED AS REBELLIOUS. 737 

pole. The next day the people assembled and erected another, secured 
with iron bands. No sooner was the city asleep, than the soldiers made 
an attempt to fell it without success. On the night of the 20th 

1 . p March 20. 

they tried to blow it up with gunpowder, but failed. The citizens 
resolved to guard the pule on the night of the 21st, and when the March 21. 
soldiers appeared they drove them hack. On the night of the 22d March 22. 
the soldiers came out with loaded muskets, and, when near the pole, faced 
about and fired a volley towards the house where the Sons of Liberty held 
their meetings. Two balls took effect in the building ; one passed through 
it, and another lodged in the timbers. This daring outrage brought out 
the commander of the forces, who ordered the soldiers to retire. 

George III. and his Lords denounced New York as " rebellious." Amer- 
ica was the theme in all companies, social and political. The freedom of 
the New York press, the action of the New York Assembly, the defianl 
attitude of the Sons of Liberty, and the petition of the New York mer- 
chants, provoked universal apprehension. The latter (just received was 
temperate in expression, but it enumerated some of the useless grievances 
of the Acts of Trade, and prayed for the free exportation of lumber, and 
an easier exchange of products with the West Indies. It was read by 
one and another, and interpreted as fresh evidence that nothing would 
give satisfaction to the colonies but a repeal of all restrictions on trade, 
and freedom from all subordination and dependence. The king talked 
more than ever. He was oblivious to every consideration of wisdom and 
expediency. He told Shelburne that the time had come when the laws 
must be enforced. But Parliament was in a desperate conflict within it- 
self. Rockingham declared that neither he nor his friends would join in 
anything severe against America. Pitt was in the country, broken in 
health, and his eclipse encouraged the wonderful and volatile Townshend, 
whose ruling passion was present success, to devise schemes of personal 
ambition. He could never resist applause, and was sure to pay the great- 
est court wherever political appearances were the most inviting. He dic- 
tated to the Ministry. His brilliant oratory took inspiration from pass- 
ing events. "Are we to pay infinite taxes and the colonies none?" he 
asked. " Are we to be burdened that they may be eased ? " 

News came that Massachusetts through her Legislature had given a 
formal defiance to Parliament, and was lending her influence to March 28. 
sustain New York in resisting the Billeting Act. On the 30th, March 30. 
the Lords wearied themselves all day in scolding at the colonies with in- 
discriminate bitterness; and the next day, and the next. It was pro- 
posed by some to make New York an example that might terrify all the 
others. " If we do not act with vigor," cried Townshend, " the colonies 
will very soon be lost forever." 



738 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Plan after plan was discussed. Day after day wore away. On the 
13th of May, Townshend entered the House of Commons with the 
May 13 ' air of a man of business. By special order the doors were closed 
against every agent of the colonies and every American merchant. He 
opened the debate with an appearance of candor; the colonies had all 
been refractory, but New York had added impudence. He proposed to 
proceed against New York, and New York alone. He moved that New 
York, having directly disobeyed Parliament, shoidd be deprived of the 
power of legislation until submission was secured. 

Taking advantage of the anarchy in the Ministry, he perfected a bill, 
and, in the course of a few weeks, pushed it through both Houses, by 
which New York was disfranchised. At the same time he introduced a new 
system of taxation, which stung the colonies into rash words and rasher 
proceedings. Duties were tacked upon articles of the first necessity, a 
Board of Customs established in Boston, Writs of Assistance legalized, 
some of the colonial charters abrogated because the people enjoyed too 
much freedom under them, an independent support provided for the 
crown officers, and places henceforward to be filled by men bom in Eng- 
1 .ml, who were willing to exact implicit obedience from the Americans. 

The New York Assembly, foreseeing the storm, and without recog- 
nizing the binding force of the British statute, conformed so far to its 
provisions as to appropriate a sum of money for the use of the army, 
without specifications, and then continued in the exercise of its powers 
as if nothing had happened. This partial concession created violent 
divisions, the governor esteeming it a politic dodge, and the radical Sons 
i if Liberty determining to resist unto the bitter end; when, therefore, the 
Assembly was dissolved (its septennial limitation having expired) in 
1768. February, 1768, a hotly contested election followed. The city 
Feb. li. members chosen were, James Jauncey, Philip Livingston, Jacob 
Walton, and James De Lancey. The latter was at the time in England. 

Just as the news of Townshend's high-handed measures was driving 
the merchants of this continent into non-importation agreements more 
binding than ever, and the Sons of Liberty into secret and startling 
pledges, the author himself fell a victim to fever, and closed his eyes 
upon the confusion he had created on both sides of the water, leaving to 
his successors the fatal bequest of errors which could never be retrieved. 
Boston suffered the more keenly, and threatened the more loudly. The 
ladies organized an association to relinquish tea, and the whole commu- 
nity voted to forbear the use of any of the taxable articles. But months 
elapsed before a ship arrived laden with goods that were dutiable. The 
Ministry was undergoing a revolution. And by the time matters were 



FOUNDING OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 739 

comparatively settled at the Court of George III., an "insurrection" in 
Boston was represented as so imminent that troops were sent to pre- 
serve order and assist the officers of the revenue. 

The merchants of New York met and resolved to sustain the action of 
the merchants and inhabitants of Boston. Governor Moore thought 
such proceedings had an evil tendency, but his counselors held that they 
were strictly legal : the people had undoubtedly a right to establish 
among themselves certain rules of economy; being masters of their own 
property, they might dispose of it as they pleased. 1 

It was during this exciting period that a few of the leading merchants 
of New York met and organized the Chamber of Commerce, the 
first mercantile society in America. John Cruger was chosen P " 
President, Hugh Wallace, 2 Vice-President, Elias Desbrosses, Treasurer, 3 
and Anthony Van Dam, Secretary. In 1770, the permanent existence of 
this institution was secured through a charter from the crown. Isaac 
Low 4 made the motion (December 5, 1769) which resulted in its incor- 
poration. He was an importer who for a long period seems to have had 
a monopoly of the fur trade with the Indians, and an able and influential 
citizen. The committee of merchants who, accompanied by the Presi- 
dent, John Cruger, waited upon Lieutenant-Governor Golden with the 
carefully prepared draft of a charter and a petition to be invested with 
such powers and authorities as would best promote the commercial and 

1 Moon to Hillsborough, May 12, 1768. Bancroft, VI. 150. 

2 Hugh ami Alexander Wallace, brothers, were merchants of wealth and position. They 
married sisters, the daughters of Cornelius Low of Raritan, New Jersey. Hugh, the elder, 
was chosen President of the Chamber of Commerce after Mr. Cruger's retirement in 1770. 
He was also appointed to the Council. His mansion upon Dock Street was the resort of the 
great dignitaries of the province, and his manner of life was costly and elegant. He remained 
in New York during the Revolution, and retired to England with the army in 1783. 

3 The Desbrosses family were of Huguenot extraction. Elias Desbrosses was a religious 
man, and prominent in every charitable enterprise. But he dues u,>t seem to have taken 
part in the angry scenes of the period. He remained in the city dining the Revolution, 
untroubled by the armies on either side, and was very much loved and respected by the 
community. He was the third President of the Chamber of Commerce. His name is per- 
petuated by the street and ferry upon the west side of the city. 

4 The Lows were a family who had had their representatives in New York for more than a 
century. Cornelius Low, the son of Cornelius Low, was born in New York City in 1700, and 
married, in 1729, Johanna Gouverneur. Isaac Low was their son, born, in 1731, at Raritan, 
New Jersey. (It was his sisters who married the brothers Hugh and Alexander Wallace.) 
He married the daughter of Cornelius Cuyler, .Mayor of Albany, the niece and companion 
of Mrs. Schuyler; she was pronounced "a beauty" by the critical John Adams when he 
breakfasted with them in then- elegant home on Dock Street in 1774. The sister of Mrs. 
Isaac Low was Mrs. Van Cortlandt, of Cortlandt Manor. Isaac Low was the seventh Presi- 
dent of the Chamber of Commerce, from 1775 to 17s:;. 



740 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

landed interests of the colony, 1 were : Isaac Low, William Walton, John 
Alsop, 2 Charles McEvers, William McAdam, Sampson Simpson, Thomas 
Buchanan, 3 Richard Sharpe, and John Thurman. This notable incident, 
which had such a bearing upon the future prosperity of New York, 
occurred early in the following March. Colden received the delegation 
graciously, and replied : — 

" I think it a good institution, and will always be glad to promote the 
commercial interests of this city ; and shall deem it a peculiar happiness 

i Chamber of Commerce Records, 1768-1784, pp. 73, 77, 79, 89-97. 

2 John Alsop was the elder son of John Alsop and Abigail Sackett, and grandson of Richard 
Alsop, who came from England near the close of the seventeenth century, and settled in New- 
town, Long Island. He was an importing merchant, and had accumulated a handsome for- 
tune. His brother Richard, who was at one time his partner, but who afterwards removed to 
Middletown, Connecticut, was trained to business in the counting-house of Philip Livingston. 
He (John Alsop) took an active part in the patriotic measures of the merchants ; was in 1770 
one of the Committee of Inspection to enforce the non-importation agreements ; was in 1774 
one of the Committee of Fifty-One chosen to unite the colonies in measures of resistance, 
and the same year was chosen delegate to the first Continental Congress. He was one of 
the Committee of One Hundred, and elected to the Congress of 1775. He resigned his seat 
on the Declaration of Independence, and retired with his family to Middletown, Connecticut. 
He returned to New York after the war, and was an active and useful member of society until 
his death in 1794. His only child married Hon. Eufus King. Among his distinguished 
descendants may be mentioned the Hon. John Alsop King, formerly Governor of the State 
of New York ; Hon. Charles King, LL. D., late President of Columbia College ; and Hon. 
James Gore King (the banker), who was President of the Chamber of Commerce in 1845 
and 1848. The name of Alsop is honorably sustained by the descendants of his brother, 
Richard Alsop. 

3 Thomas Buchanan was of the ancient and distinguished family of Buchanan of Buchanan, 
a clan which held a prominent place in the annals of Scotland. His father, George Buchanan, 
was a gentleman of fortune, liberally educated, and his mother, Jean Lowden, was a lady of 
gentle birth. Their home was in Glasgow. Thomas was educated at the University of Glas- 
gow, but came to New York before he had completed his nineteenth year. Tradition says 
that although he became a partner with one of his relatives of the same name in a mercantile 
house engaged in a foreign and domestic trade of considerable magnitude, that he had no 
intention of becoming a permanent resident of New York, until he fell in love with Almy, 
daughter of Jacob Townsend, of Oyster Bay, Long Island, a lady of great personal attractions; 
in 1765 they were married. The family of his wife were closely identified with the cause 
of the colonies, but as he was not American born he was enabled to pursue an independent 
course in the struggle, and retained the esteem of both the Americans and the British. He 
was one of the famous Committee of One Hundred chosen to take control of the city in 1775 ; 
and he was one of the signers of the loyal address to Lord and General Howe in September, 
1 776. He built a dwelling-house on Wall Street on the site of the present Custom House, and 
its grounds extended to Sloat Lane, where his warehouse was located ; he lived here until his 
death, in 1815. He was a promoter of public institutions and charities, and filled many 
offices of responsibility and commercial trust. He was buried in his family vault in the 
Wall Street Presbyterian Church. He left eight children : of these, Almy married Peter P. 
Goelet ; Margaret married Robert R. Goelet ; Martha married Thomas Hicks, son of White- 
head Hicks, Mayor of New York ; Elizabeth married Samuel Gilford ; Frances married 
Thomas C. Pearsall. Mr. Buchanan's only son died unmarried. 



GOUVERNEUR MORRIS. 741 

that a society so beneficial to the general good of the province is incor- 
porated during my administration." 

Twelve months afterward a committee of merchants waited upon the 
lieutenant-governor to request him to sit for his picture at the expense of 
the Chamber, which, when painted, should be hung in the great hall of 
the institution, in grateful appreciation of the advantages conferred by 
the royal charter. The work was duly accomplished, — a life-size por- 
trait, — which, after many vicissitudes, having escaped perils by sword 
and by fire, now graces in all the dignity of its centennial years the 
honorable place to which it was originally destined. 

And the citizens of New York found time, in the midst of agitations 
and revolutionary gossip, to concentrate interest upon a college com- 
mencement. The public exercises of the spring of 1768 drew together an 
unusually large, intelligent, and fashionable audience. The graduates on 
this occasion were Benjamin Moore, afterwards Bishop Moore; John 
Stevens, Gouverneur Morris, whose oration won great applause, Gulian 
Verplanck, Egbert Benson, James Ludlow, Peter Van Schaick, Charles 
Doughty, and John Beardsley. They were all distinguished men al a 
later day. Benjamin Moore and Gouverneur Morris were presented with 
silver medals. The latter possessed an inordinate amount of self-confi- 
dence for one of his age (he was born in 1752), and shortly began to 
write anonymous papers on the grave questions of finance and taxa- 
tion. He studied law under the careful direction of William Smith, the 
historian, and was admitted to practice before he was twenty years 
old. He developed the traits of character so marked in his ancestry, 
— energy, persistence, and independent fearlessness, — but, unlike his 
father and grandfather, he commenced his career without fortune, know- 
ing that his future success depended upon his own efforts; a legacy of 
two thousand pounds, to be paid after his mother's death, was all lie 
bad to expect from his father's estate. He had the advantage of the 
family name, as well as that of a fair, pleasing face and a fine voice, 
and was remarkably industrious. One of the early important causes in 
which he was engaged was that of a contested election in Westchester 
County, where John Jay was his opponent. It involved principles of 
evidence, questions about the right of suffrage, and matters local and 
general, which gave scope for the display of no little legal learning and 
forensic ability. 

The new year opened gloomily. Although England was afraid to 
strike, every effort was being made to intimidate the colonies. 
Boston was in disgrace ; that is, soldiers paraded her streets 
while as yet nothing was given them to do. Boston had not rebelled 



742 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



neither was Boston subdued by the military display. The first attempt 
to enforce the taxes would tell the story, and even Lord North hesitated. 



New York continued to send ines- 
pathy to Boston ; and the New York 
pleted .the expression of American 
unanimously asserting its legislative 
very sorry," wrote the governor to 
"to inform you that I have been 
cessity of putting an end to the late 
a dissolution ; my duty would not 
pass over unregarded the extraor- 
it had entered upon its jour- 
action the governor was not 
ported by his 
the eight mem- 
directly op- 

The new elec- 
iutense excite- 
nieans and de- 
to secure votes. 
Sir William 
friend in New 
you are likely 
time at the 
probably there 
for shillalabs." 



sages of sym- 
Assembly corn- 
opinion, by 
rights. " 1 am 
Hillsborough, 
under the ne- 
Assembly by 
permit me to 
dinary resolves 
nals." 1 In this 
cordially sup- 
Council, — of 
bers four stood 
4 posed. 

tion occasioned 
ment. Every 
vice was used 
" I hear," wrote 
Johnson, to a 
York, "that 
to have a hot 
polls, and 
will be work 

St. Paul's Chapel. 

Some of the incidents show how trifles were turned to advantage on 
this occasion ; it was reported that a certain gentleman had said that 
" the Irish were poor beggars, and had come over upon a bunch of straw." 
The whole body of Irishmen immediately joined and appeared with 
straws in their hats. Another person was said to have remarked that 
" the Germans were like firebrands." They at once resolved to vote with 
firebrands in their hands. Being dissuaded, they distinguished them- 
selves by the name of Firebrands. This was the last Assembly ever 
elected under the crown. The contest in the city was between the 
Church of England party and the Presbyterians, — the former being led by 
the De Lanceys and the latter by the Livingstons with almost as much 
acrimony as ten years previously. The church party, having the support 
of the mercantile and masonic interests, were triumphant. The city 
members were, John Cruger, James De Lancey, Jacob Walton, and 

1 Moore to Hillsborough, January 4, 1769. 




REPEALS. 7 4: 1 

James Jauncey. "James He Lancey takes the lead," wrote John Watts, 
"and must continue to do so as long as he manages with common wisdom, 
his father's memory is so much revered." The House met April 
4, and John Cruger was chosen speaker. On motion of Philip pnl *" 
Livingston, a vote of thanks was returned to the merchants, for their 
repeated, disinterested, public-spirited, and patriotic conduct in declining 
the importation of goods from Great Britain until such acts of Parliament, 
as the General Assembly of New York had declared unconstitu- 
tional and subversive of the rights and liberties of the people of pr 
this colony, should be repealed. 1 And it is more than probable that the 
resolves which caused the dissolution of the former Assembly would have 
been emphatically renewed, but that Philip Livingston was dismissed, 
after violent debates, on the ground of nou-residence, he having been 
elected from the manor when his home was in the city. 

"The Livingstons are not entirely crushed," wrote Hugh Wallace, 
" for it is said that he will be returned again and again, and so become 
another Wilkes." Judge Robert 1!. Livingston lost his seat as a member, 
because of a new law which rendered the office of judge aud representa- 
tive incompatible. Governor Moore regretted this exceedingly, as he 
entertained a high opinion of the judicial gentleman. He wrote at once 
to the Lords, recommending him as counselor in the place of Lord Stir- 
ling, who had resigned on account of his New Jersey estates, and his con- 
nection with the New Jersey Council. He described Judge Livingston as 
a man of great ability and many accomplishments. He said, " his father 
(who is very far advanced in years) is possessed of a great landed estate, 
which will come to him undivided, as he is an only son, ami he is married 
to the richest heiress in this country, whose father, Colonel Henry Beek- 
man, is likewise very old and infirm ; so in all human probability he 
must shortly become the greatest landholder, without any exception, in 
New York." 

As the summer advanced, the English Lords, palsied by indecision, 
began to discuss repeals. They finally agreed that the duties on "lass, 
paper, and painters' colors were contrary to the true principles of com- 
merce. But the tax on tea must be maintained as an evidence of lordly 
superiority. The New York merchants, who had originated non-impor- 
tation, and carried it rigidly into effect, which was not true of any other 
colony, invited Boston to extend the agreement against importing until 
every Act imposing duties should lie repealed. 

Meanwhile the effects of the Non-Importation Acts were alarming in 
savage New York. The scarcity of goods at the trading-posts led the Six 
i Journals of the Assembly : Chamber of Commerce Records. 



744 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Nations, who could not comprehend the policy through which these acts 
were dictated, to imagine that the king and colonists had conspired to re- 
strict their trade. Sir William Johnson called a congress of sachems, but 
no Indian goods suitable for presents could be found. One large package 
designed especially for this purpose, and consigned to a merchant in Al- 
bany, was seized in New York on its way to the consignee, by the Sons of 
Liberty, who were carrying out the non-importation agreement with com- 
mendable vigor. It nearly produced the complication which would have 
ended in another bloody Indian war. 

The imports of New York had fallen off more than live parts in six. 
The merchants were becoming impatient of a system of voluntary renun- 
ciation which was so unequally kept ; the belief was common that if the 
other colonies had adhered to it as strictly, all the grievances would have 
been redressed. The policy of importing all goods except tea, was broached, 
and met with favor. It was violently opposed by Sears, MacDougall, 
Lamb, and others of the radical popular party ; but men went from ward 
to ward to take the opinions of the people, and it was found that eleven 
hundred and eighty, against three hundred, were disposed to confine the 
restriction to tea alone. The Sons of Liberty throughout the colonies raised 
a howl of disapprobation. Patriotism, they said, was on the decline. But 
the New York merchants argued from a broader standpoint than has 
been generally supposed. They had originated and alone sacredly en- 
forced the non-importation agreement, and it was reacting dangerously 
u] ion the savage population. Concessions had been made by the mother 
country, however inadequate, and circumstances justified the taking 
advantage of those concessions. Before the middle of July, 1770, a 
packet sailed for England with orders for all kinds of merchandise except 
Tea. 

Prior to this important event, the sudden death of Sir Henry Moore, 
(September 11, 1769), after an illness of three weeks, threw the reins 
of government once more into the hands of the aged Lieutenant-Governor 
Golden. The indolence, courteous address, and genial disposition of Moore, 
had secured the cordial good-will of even his bitterest political opponents, 
but the most trifling acts of Golden were liable to misconstruction through 
his previous unpopularity. 

The latter met the Assembly in November, demanding a further sub- 
sidy for the troops. There was no immediate response. The House had 
persistently refused to pay for the burnt chariot, and other losses sustained 
by Colden in the time of the Stamp Act riot. But the want of pro- 
nounced relief in the shape of currency had for a long time been gravely 
discussed. A bill was shortly introduced for the emission of bills of 



EMISSION OF BILLS OF CREDIT. 



74.-. 



credit to the amount of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds, to be 
loaned to the people, and the interest applied to the support of the gov- 
ernment. And on the 15th of December a motion was made to 
giant two thousand pounds of the interest arising from the loan 
bill, when it should become a law, towards the support of the troops, which 
turned the scale and induced Golden to approve the questionable bill, 
even at the risk of Parliamentary displeasure. 

The next day an inflammatory handbill threw New York into confu- 
sion. It was addressed " To the Betrayed inhabitants of the city 
and colony of New York," and was signed " A Son of Liberty." It 
warned the people against this " subtle attack upon their liberties," and 
declared it a corrupt and infamous combination between a powerful fam- 
ily (referring to the De Lanceys) and the lieutenant-governor, to compel 
submission to the Mutiny Act ; and concluded by calling a popular 
meeting in the Fields. The next day a large multitude assembled. 

° jo Dec 17 

John Lamb explained the object of the meeting in a spirited ad- 
dress, and put the question whether "the people would approve the do- 
ings of the Legislature." The vote for disapproval appeared unanimous, 
and Lamb was appointed chairman of a committee of seven, to report the 
same to the House. They were received courteously, but the 

. Dec. 18 

Legislature did not esteem it worth while to be dictated to by a 
meeting which partook so apparently of the character of a mob. Resolu- 
tions were immediately passed, condemning the handbill as a sedi- 
tious and infamous libel, and £ 100 was offered for the detection of 
the writer. Following these resolutions, appeared a second handbill signed 



"Legion," 
nutted to the 
.James De Lau- 
demned, like 
sors, and £50 
author. Lamb 
to the Assem- 
der suspicion, 
ed. The corn- 
ever, of which 




C^-Vt>(^7 " lisDMh to counterfeit. 

Specimen of Bills. 



which was sub- 
House by 
cey. It was con- 
its predeces- 
offered for its 
was summoned 
bly rooms, un- 
and interrogat- 
mittee, how- 
he was chair- 



man, signified that each and all were implicated to the same extent as 
Lamb, and he was dismissed. The passage of the bill was, in sub- 1770. 
stance, the germ of bank legislation. These bills of credit were Jan - 4 - 
made legal tender in all dues to the government, and possessed the essen- 
tial character of the treasury notes of the present day. They were issued 
by officers appointed by the governor and council. It was supposed they 
would lighten the burden of taxation by funishing a circulating medium. 



746 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

The soldiers had long writhed under the contempt with which they 
had been treated by the Sons of Liberty, and only waited for an opportu- 
nity to return scorn with interest. Now that supplies were granted, the 
officers ceased to restrain them through policy, as hitherto. Hence an at- 
tack was planned upon the detested liberty-pole. A portion of the 
Sixteenth Regiment came out in the night, bored off its supporters, 
and attempted to blow it up with gunpowder. A knot of men having 
gathered while they were thus engaged, they were charged upon with fixed 
bayonets, and driven into a tavern kept by La Montagne, the well-known 
rendezvous of the Sons of Liberty. They attempted to defend themselves, 
but the soldiers broke the windows and doors and demolished the furni- 
ture. Finally, an officer appeared and ordered the soldiers to the 
barracks. Three nights afterward the destruction of the pole was 
accomplished, and its fragments piled in front of La Montagne's door. 
Incensed beyond endurance, three thousand citizens assembled next 
morning at the scene of the outrage. Resolutions were adopted, 
among which was one to the effect that all soldiers found armed 
in the streets after roll-call, should be treated as " enemies to the peace 
of the city." A committee of the Sons of Liberty were appointed to en- 
force the Resolutions. The next morning insolent placards w r ere 
' found posted in various parts of the city, ridiculing the action of 
the citizens. Later in the clay, Sears and one or two others caught three 
soldiers in the act of posting more of these handbills, and collared and 
marched them towards the mayor's office. They were met by a band of 
some twenty soldiers, who attempted to rescue their fellows. An affray 
ensued, the soldiers striking the citizens indiscriminately with cutlasses 
and clubs, and they defending themselves as best they could, with canes, 
cart-stakes, and such weapons as lay within their reach. The latter gain- 
ing advantage, the military retreated towards Golden Hill ; * at this 
point they were met by a reinforcement, and about to make a furious 
charge upon the citizens, when officers appeared and ordered the men to 
the barracks. Thus the riot was quelled. But several persons had been 
wounded and one killed. The next day there was a skirmish both 

Jan. 19. . J 

morning and afternoon. 2 The city was thrown into the wildest 
commotion, the bells rang, and the news, with exaggerations and embel- 

1 That portion of John Street between Cliff Street and Burling Slip. This was called the 
" Battle of Golden Hill." Thus was the first blood of the Revolution shed in New York, two 
months before the massacre in King's Street, Boston, and five years before the Battle of 
Lexington. 

2 "On Saturday there was another battle between the inhabitants and soldiers ; but the 
soldiers met with rubbers, the chiefest part being sailors with clubs who were determined to 



ALEXANDER MACDOUGAL. 747 

lishments, spread through the country with the swiftness of lightning. 
On the 20th the mayor issued a proclamation forbidding the 
soldiers to leave the barracks unless accompanied by a non- 
commissioned ofticer, and order was once more restored. The newspapers 
loudly celebrated the victory ; and the Sons of Liberty bought a 
piece of land on the western border of the commons, and erected 

r Feb. 6. 

another pole, with " Liberty and Property " inscribed thereon. 1 

About the same time MacDougal was arrested, on the accusation of the 
printer and his journeyman, as the author of the libelous handbills in 
December. " He is a person of some fortune, and could easily 
have found the bail required of him," wrote Golden to the Earl of 
Hillsborough, "but he chose to go to jail, and he lies there imitating 
Wilkes in everything he can." He was at once toasted as a martyr, and 
was visited by such throngs in his prison that he was obliged to appoint 
hours for their reception. His case bore sufficient analogy to the Wilkes- 
and-liberty madness which had so recently raged in England as to cause 
" Forty-five " to be adopted as the watchword and countersign of the 
popular party. The Sons of Libert}' drank forty-five toasts at a 
dinner given in honor of the Eepeal Act, and afterwards marched 
in procession to the jail, and saluted MacDougal with forty-five cheers. 
On the forty-fifth day of the year, forty-five of the Liberty boys went in 
procession to the jail, and dined with him on forty-five beefsteaks cut 
from a bullock forty-five months old, after which they drank forty-five 
toasts. Such was the spirit of the times. 

MacDougal was indicted by the grand jury for having published a 
libel against the government. He was not arraigned before the Assembly 
until December. He was defended by George Clinton, afterwards gov- 
ernor, and a writ of habeas corpus issued. But although the indictment 
was not tried, the main witness for the prosecution (Parker) dying about 
that time, MacDougal was not liberated from his confinement until the 
4th of March, 1771, when the Assembly was prorogued. 2 

revenge the death of their brother, which they did with courage, and made the soldiers all 
run to their barracks. One man got his skull cut in the most cruel manner. What will be 
the end of this God knows. " — Extract from Letter from New York, January 22, 1770, in the 
British Evening Post, March 15, 1770. 

1 This pole was near the site of the old one, opposite the present 252 Broadway, between 
Warren and Murray Struts. 

2 Major-General Alexander MacDougal was, in March, 1775, a member of the provincial con- 
vention ; he received the same year a commission as colonel of the first New York regiment. 
In 1776 he rose to the rank of brigadier-general ; in 1777, to major-general ; and in 1778, 
superseded Putnam in command of the Highlands. After the flight of Arnold he was placed 
in charge of West Point. With the return of peace he was elected to the Legislature of the 
State. He was also president of the Bank of x *ew York at the time of his death, in June, 1786. 



748 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

1770 - 1775. , 

THE BEGINNING OP THE GREAT STRUGGLE. 

Condition of New York in 1770. — Divisions among the People. — The Livingston 
and De Lancey Families. — Religious and State Matters. — The Churches of 
New York in 1770. — The Pastors. — Resentment of Boston when New York iik- 
sumed Commercial Intercourse with England. — Reply of the New York Mer- 
chants. —Two Years' Tranquillity. — The Earl of Dunmore. — Sir William 
Tryon. — The Court End of the Town. — Brief Allusion to the Location of 
the Dwellings of some of the Leading Families of the City. — A Glimpse of 
the Sugar-Houses. — Distress of the East India Company. — Act of Parliament 
to force the Colonies to buy Tea. — The Boston Tea Party. — The New York 
Tea Meeting. — New York sending back the Tea Vessels. — The Boston Port 
Bill. — Sympathy of the Colonies. — The Committee of Fifty-one. — New York 
proposes a Continental Congress. — Various Exciting Events. — The Delegates 
to the Continental Congress. — Action of the Continental Congress of 1774. — 
The New York Committee of Observation. — Provision for the Immortal Con- 
gress which declared the Indf.pendence of America. 

"A TEW YOEK at this period, like England herself, was afflicted with 
1 \| excess of aristocracy. The same pride and arrogance which ruled 
in the palace, and which tinged the whole administration of Great Britain, 
were stamped upon the central colony, and biased the judgments of the 
very men who professed the most liberal notions. New York was a nest 
of families. Nearly all who figured in the councils of the colony were 
related to each other by blood or marriage. Feuds were their inheritance, 
having been handed along from generation to generation. Thus the forces 
which constitute antagonisms were strikingly developed. Private quar- 
rels burned fiercely just beneath the surface of politics, and innumer- 
able theories evolved from the varying conditions and wants of a grow- 
ing community fanned the flames. The idea of right prevailed. It was 
the life-giving principle which was to result in a durable constitution. 
But conflicting opinions distorted the idea. Some clung to the bequests 
of the past with obstinate tenacity ; others clamored for reform. There 
were fanatics for conservatism, and fanatics for ideal freedom. Men of 



RELIGIOUS AND STATE MATTERS. 749 

property were dismayed with the aspirations of ignorance and incapacity ; 
and the tradesmen and mechanics suspected the wealthier class of enmity 
to popular power. The merchants were not in sympathy with either ; 
they were the chief sufferers through the pretensions of England, and were 
suspicious of all who were in a position to be won by the distributions of 
contracts or commissions, and at the same time were afraid of the rash- 
ness of the multitude which might plunge them at any moment into the 
miseries of a desperate conflict. The aristocracy which the system of 
manorial grants had created was divided against itself. The two great 
leading families, Livingston and De Lancey, were, if possible, more widely 
separated than ever. The Livingstons inclined to republicanism in any 
event. The De Lanceys pinned their faith to kingly power. 

Eeligious and state matters were closely allied. The Episcopal was 
arrayed against the Presbyterian Church, and the Dutch-Reformed was 
jealous of the Congregational ; both the Episcopal and the Dutch-Eeformed 
were alarmed by the leveling cloud which seemed to hang low above 
their heads. New York, as we have seen, was far from being English, 
although under England's rule. Its people were a union of different races. 
Neither had events of the past few years tended towards an increase of 
respect for English institutions. Now it was predicted that George III. 
would shortly place a prelate over every colony. The dread of absolute 
power in a spiritual order was nearly as great as in 1689. Hence the 
violent opposition to the Church of England which the officers of the 
government pronounced "an effort to excite tumult and anarchy." Of 
the various churches of the city at this point in our history a few brief 
descriptive passages will no doubt prove acceptable to the reader. 

Trinity, the parish church of the Episcopalians, had, as a collegiate 
charge, St. George's and St. Paul's Chapel. The latter was new (having 
been erected in 1767 J ). It was a costly structure of reddish-gray sand- 
stone, ornamented and finished in the most elaborate manner. The gal- 
leries were supported by massive pillars, and two great square pews 
about midway upon either side of the edifice were specially designed 
for the dignitaries of state. The excellent Eev. Dr. Barclay finished 
his labors in 1764, since which time Eev. Dr. Samuel Auchmuty had 
been rector of the church. He was the sou of Robert Auchmuty, an 
eminent Boston lawyer, who descended from an ancient Scotch baronial 
family. 2 The assistant rector was Eev. Charles Inglis, afterwards Bishop 
of Nova Scotia. 

1 See sketch of St. Paul's Chapel, page 740. 

2 Robert, the brother of Rev. Dr. Samuel Auchmuty, was the famous and witty Boston 
advocate, who, with Adams and Quimy, defended Captain Preston and the British soldiers 



750 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



The North Dutch, the fourth in the succession of Dutch churches, was 
first opened for worship May 25, 1769, and was the rival in architectural 
pretensions of St. Paul's Chapel. It was located on Fulton (Fair) Street, 
then quite out of town. 1 The Eev. Dr. John Henry Livingston was called to 

the pulpit the next year. 
He was young, scarcely 
twenty-six years of age, of 
singular personal beauty, 
tall, athletic, and a pro- 
ficient in manly exercises. 
He had been graduated 
from Yale at sixteen, after 
a rigorous examination 
not only in the classics, 
but astronomy, mathe- 
matics, and jurisprudence; 
and he had traveled over 
Europe, studied theology 
in Utrecht, Holland, and 
been ordained by the 
Classis of Amsterdam. He 
was the great-grandson of 
Robert Livingston, the 
first lord of the manor, 
his grandfather being Gil- 
bert, and his father Henry 
Livingston. He married 
(in 1775) his third cous- 
in, Sarah, the beautiful 
daughter of Philip Livingston of New York City. 2 His gifts were of a 
high order, and his influence was soon to be felt in the evolutions of the 
political wheel. His distinguished associate, Eev. Dr. Laidlie of the 




North Dutch Churcl 
(On Fulton Street., 



engaged in the Boston massacre ; he was Judge of Admiralty from 1767 to 1776. Their sister 
married Benjamin Pratt of New York. One of the sons of Rev. Dr. Samuel Auchmuty (Sir 
Samuel Auchmuty) became a general in the British army and was subsequently knighted ; he 
was, in 1822, commander-in-chief of the forces in Ireland. 

1 The North Dutch Church was remodeled in 1842, and taken down in 1875 ; it was cele- 
brated for many years as the seat of the Fulton Street prayer-meetings. 

2 Philip Livingston removed his family to Kingston in 1775. His eldest daughter mar- 
ried Stephen Van Rensselaer of Albany ; his second daughter married Dr. Thomas Jones of 
New York, and was the mother of the wife of De Witt Clinton; his son, Henry Philip, was 
a member of Washington's family in 1778. 



THE WALL STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 751 

Middle Dutch Church, was already infusing Scotch prejudices and repub- 
lican philosophy into the minds of a large and intelligent congregation. 

The Presbyterians had about the same time found their one church in 
Wall Street inadequate to the requirements of the organization, and built 
the brick church (in 1768) on the corner of Beekman Street and Park 
Row. The lot was donated by the corporation. The chief agitator of the 
movement was Rev. Dr. John Rodgers, who had been the pastor of the 
Wall Street Church since 1765. He even went about in person to obtain 
subscriptions for the new edifice. He was a progressive divine. It was 
he who abolished the custom which had hitherto prevailed of opening 
Sabbath services from the clerk's desk. He was fond of scholastic theol- 
ogy, and by no means averse to political economy. He entered into the 
bitter controversies of the period with fearless enthusiasm. His whole 
so\d was in rebellion, as it were, with what he styled the " overbearing 
spirit of the Episcopalians." He, like Rev. Dr. Auchmuty, was a native 
of Boston. 1 But he was educated in Philadelphia, whither his parents 
had removed in 1728. He had been converted in the great revival that 
swept over the country in 1748, under the preaching of Whitfield, and 
had labored as a missionary in Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware, before 
settling in New York. He was fixed in habits of austere industry, and 
never lost a moment of time. Such was the crowded condition of the 
Wall Street Church that when the Brick Church was completed all the 
pews were taken at the first sale. The congregation was one bod} - with 
that which worshiped in Wall Street ; there was but one board of trus- 
tees, one eldership, and one ministry. Failing, however, as hitherto in 
the matter of obtaining a charter, through the violent collision of parties 
in the Assembly, and the persistent opposition of the Episcopalians, the 
property was vested with trustees. William Livingston and John Morin 
Scott, who were known as the "Presbyterian lawyers," were conspicu- 
ous members of Dr. Rodgers's flock. They were already wielding their 
gifted and caustic pens in the significant direction of a free and inde- 
pendent national existence, the system of which to-day so nearly resem- 
bles in its order and strength that of the church government of this 
denomination. 

It was in 1768 that Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon reached America to 
take charge of Princeton College. He had long been a correspondent of 

1 Rev. Dr. John Rodgers was born in Boston, August 5, 1727. He succeeded the eminent 
Rev. David Bostwick in the Wall Street Church, who died in 1763. He died in New York 
City, May 7, 1811. During the War of the Revolution he officiated as chaplain of Heath's 
brigade, of the State Convention, of the Council of Safety, and of the first Legislature. He 
also preached from time to time at various places in the country. 



752 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

Dr. Iiodgers, by whom he was cordially welcomed and entertained upon 
his arrival in New York. He was intensely opposed to prelacy, and 
claimed with magnetic eloquence a fuller degree of liberty in matters of 
religious faith and practice. His attention was almost immediately called 
to a special bone of contention. A legacy of seven hundred and fifty dollars 
had been left the Wall Street Church in 1754, the interest to be applied 
to the support of the poor children of the congregation. A legal difficulty 
had arisen concerning the transfer of the fund, the party having it in 
charge refusing to deliver it to the church because of the want of char- 
tered responsibility. Thus for a series of years the church was denied 
the benefit of the gift; and to add to the acrimony between the two 
ecclesiastical bodies, the vestry of Trinity Church made a succession of 
efforts to obtain the fund. President Witherspoon was fresh from the 
discussion of similar topics in the Old World ; he was learned, versatile, 
and brilliant, and gave free expression to his views. He denouuced the 
course of the Church of England, and criticised the acts of the king and 
his Ministry in language so direct and forcible that even his hearers often- 
times trembled. He was the son of the parish minister of Yester, near 
Edinburgh, Scotland, aud a lineal descendant of John Knox. 1 When the 
Pretender landed in Scotland, he marched at the head of a company of 
militia to Glasgow to join him; he was taken prisoner at the battle of 
Falkirk, aud remained in Donne Castle until after the battle of Culloden. 
He was settled in Paisley in 1757, where he preached until he was called 
to the presidency of Princeton College. 

The Scotch Presbyterian Church had been founded in 1757 through a 
disagreement in the Wall Street Church concerning a system of Psalmody. 
A few members seceded, and in 1761 called Rev. Dr. John Mason 2 from 

1 Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon was born February 5, 1722. He died near Princeton, New Jer- 
sey, November 15, 1794. In addition to his duties as President of Princeton College, he lec- 
tured on moral philosophy and rhetoric, was professor of divinity, and pastor of the church 
in Princeton. He wrote extensively on a great variety of topics, and took an active leading 
part in the proceedings which culminated in the Revolution. He served on many impor- 
tant committees, was a member of the convention to frame a State constitution for New Jer- 
sey, and was sent by the Provincial to the General Congress at Philadelphia, where he signed 
the Declaration of Independence. 

2 Rev. Dr. John Mason was born in 1734. He died in New York, April 19, 1792. His 
son, Rev. John Mitchell Mason, D. D., born in New York, March 19, 1770, and educated in 
Scotland, succeeded to the pulpit, and attained, if possible, greater eminence than his father. 
His eloquence was historical. His orations of the most general interest were on the death 
of Washington and of Hamilton. From this church grew another church in 1810, which 
bore its pastor away to the pulpit of a new stone sanctuary on Murray Street, opposite 
Columbia College. In 1842 this last-named edifice was taken down, stone by stone (each 
carefully marked), and the structure re-erected in Eighth Street, where it still (in 1876) 
remains. 



THE CHURCHES OF NEW YORK. 753 

Scotland to their pulpit. In 1768 a substantial church edifice was erected 
on Ceilar Street near Broadway. 1 

The Baptists were few in numbers. They had a small church (built in 
1760) on Gold near John Street. The history of the organization is inter- 
esting. It originated in a prayer-meeting maintained for several years 
in private dwellings, and afterwards in a rigging-lofl on William Street, 
with an occasional sermon. It was considered the branch of a church in 
Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Elder Miller, the pastor, coming to the city 
once in three months to administer the sacrament. In 1762, the number 
of members being twenty-seven, the body since known as the First 
Baptist Church was duly inaugurated, and Rev. John Gano, a promising 
young divine of thirty-five, became its pastor. 

The Methodists were unknown in New York until 1766. In the early 
spring of that year a few faindies arrived, among whom was Rev. Philip 
Embury, a local preacher. He held services in his own house for a brief 
period, then a room was rented for a few months in the soldiers' barracks. 
The same winter, Captain Thomas Webb, barrack-master at Albany, was 
in New York, and, being a Methodist minister, preached in his regimen- 
tals. The novelty drew so large an audience that the old rigging-loft 
in William Street was rented and occupied some two years for religious 
worship. In 1768 a little edifice was built on John Street near Nassau, 
sixty feet long and forty-two wide. The first Methodist conference in 
America convened at Philadelphia in the summer of 1773, at which time 
it was reported that the New York church consisted of one hundred and 
eighty members. It was not, however, until alter the Revolution fin 
1784) that the Methodist Episcopal Church was regularly established. 

The Moravians had built a little church on Fair (Fulton) Street in 
1752, the corner-stone of which was laid by Rev. Owen Rice, and the 
dedication sermon preached by Bishop Spandenberg. The rise of this 
denomination in New York dates back to 1736, when two Moravian 
bishops from Germany visited the city on their way to Pennsylvania 
Mr. John Noble, one of the elders in the Wall Street Presbyterian Church. 
invited them to hold services in his house, and became warmly enlisted 
in their cause. He subsequently withdrew his relations from the Wall 
Street Church, and was the leading man among the Moravians to the end 
of his life. For three years public worship was not attempted ; but when 
the bishops returned from Pennsylvania, and were again entertained by 
Mr. Noble, services were resumed, and before they sailed for Europe a 
society of nine persons was formed. Shortly after, Count Zinzindorf, the 

1 The Cedar Street Church was not abandoned until 1836, when the organization removed 
to the larger edifice in Grand Street. 



754 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

founder of the Moravian Church in Germany, lauded in New York with 
a considerable colony of Moravians on their way to Pennsylvania, and his 
presence gave such an impulse to the movement that before he left the 
city, elders had been appointed and the organization placed upon a per- 
manent basis. It was some years later, however, before the funds were 
collected which erected the edifice. 1 

The Quakers had a meeting-house on Little Green Street near Maiden 
Lane, which was built about the beginning of the century. In 1775 they 
erected a much larger one of brick on Pearl Street, between Franklin 
Square and Oak Street, but it was not completed at the breaking out of 
the war. The French church, described in a former chapter ; the Lutheran, 
with its quaint belfry, corner of Eector Street and Broadway ; the German 
Reformed, before mentioned ; and the Jews' Synagogue on Mill Street 
(built in 1706), constitute the remainder of the places of religious worship 
in 1770. 

Boston tore the New York letter in pieces relative to a resumption of 
commercial intercourse with England and scattered it with scorn. 2 The 
New York merchants wrote : " Ah, you rejected a congress which might 
have had a happy tendency to unite the whole continent in one system, and 
numbers say it was only a scheme in you to continue importing under 
pompous, ostentatious resolves against it. Your merchants have been into 
Connecticut soliciting the custom of the people there, and urging them 
to come to Boston and trade because New York was out of goods. The bills 
of entry made at the Custom House in London contain the entry of all 
kinds of goods, as usually shipped from your port, as if no agreement 
existed. The merchants of this city have never deceived their neighbors, 
but have most religiously maintained their engagements." 3 

New York had learned the lesson that agreements were useless where no 
power existed to enforce their observance. The relief afforded by the 
influx of necessary goods produced a better state of feeling. Presently 
news came that the king had graciously assented to the emission 
of bdls of credit ; and when about the same time his eques- 
trian statue arrived, it was erected with imposing ceremonies on the 

1 This church was taken down and rebuilt in 1829 ; when Fulton Street was widened in 
1836, it was found necessary to cut off eight feet of the building. Seven years afterward it 
was removed and the lot sold, a new edifice being erected on the corner of Houston and Mott 
Streets. 

2 Votes at a full meeting at Faneuil Hall, July 24, 1770. 

3 The plan of a congress, the germ of the idea of American Union, was proposed by New 
York to her neighbors at an early period in the dispute. Holt's New York Journal, June 20, 
1770, contains a suggestion in regard to a "suitable place for a congress." The same paper 
of August 30, 1770, contains a letter from the New York committee of merchants to the 
Boston committee. 






TWO YEARS' TRANQUILLITY. 755 

ancient Bowling Green, the Park of the city. The Governor, Council 
Assembly, Mayor and Aldermen. Chamber of Commerce, Marine S 
officers of the army and navy, and citizens generally participated. The 
terraces and lofty balconies of the arrogant-looking mansions in the 
vicinity were filled with enthusiastic spectators. An iron r ailin g was 
built around the statue by the corporation at a cost of £ sun. and it stood 
thus in all its gilded glory until the evening of July 9, 1776, when it 
was demolished by the excited soldiery immediately after the reading of 
the Declaration of Independence ; an act partaking so much of the char- 
acter of a riot as to provoke a severe rebuke from Washington the aexl 
morning. 

For two years there was comparative quiet. The efforts of the Minis- 
try to pacify New York were successful to a certain degree. Commerce, 
however, was only partially restored. Business was dull. Public im- 
provements were neglected. The city was pervaded by a restless uncer- 
tainty, as if waiting for some new and strange chapter in the historj of 
the world. Tea was still rejected. The duty had uot been abolished, 
even though the East India Company had offered to pay double the 
amount of the revenue which would be derived from this impost iu 
America, provided Parliament would repeal the law. 

Meanwhile the Earl of Dunmore had arrived as governor of the prov- 
ince 1 October 28, 177U . been received with the regulation ceremonies, 
occupied the executive chair about niue months, distinguished himself by 
declining the offer of an income from tin/ Assembly, — his salary being paid 
from the Miig's treasury, which was to be supplied from the colonial taxes, 
— and by instituting a suit iu chancery over which he presided himself 
as chancellor) against Lieutenant-Governor Colden for half the emolu- 
ments of office, and been, removed to the government of Virginia.- He 
was an active man, fond of sports, and far more addicted to the chase 
than to legislative controversies. Sir William Tryon, Bart., was his suc- 
cessor. The latter came (July 8, 1771) fresh from -even years' residence 
in North Carolina, where he had made himself odious by stupid tyr- 
anny. He was less able and stronger willed than his predecessor, with 
smooth manners and a pleasant countenance. He courted the favor of the 
landed lords, and others of high rank, drank wine at their tables, boasted 
of his exploits on the frontiers (where he had stained his hands with 
innocent blood), 2 listened patiently to the complaints of the merchants, 
and endeavored to lull anxiety into blissful repose. He nattered himself, 

1 Bancroft speaks of Lord Dunmore as " a needy Scottish peer of the House of Murray, 
passionate, narrow, ami unscrupulous in his rapacity." 
s Bancroft, VI. 399, 400. 



756 



HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 




Seal and Autograph of Governor Tryon. 



as well as George III., that he was managing New York. The Assembly- 
had appointed Edmund Burke for its agent in England, and with such an 
illustrious champion trusted in the probable redress of grievances. 

Tryon took up his abode in the governor's house in the fort — which 
was burned on the night of December 29, 1773, the family escaping with 

difficulty and one 
servant perishing 
in the Haines — 
and subsequently 
in a large mansion 
on Broad Street. 
His wife and 
daughter were so- 
cial favorites. His 
counselors were 
Chief Justice 

Horsemanden, John Watts, Oliver De Lancey, Charles Ward Apthorpe, 
Pioger Morris, William Smith, Henry Cruger, Hugh Wallace, James 
Jauncey, Henry White, and William Axtell. 1 Watts at this time had 
reached nearly threescore well-rounded years ; his scholarship and refined 
tastes were often quoted in England, and his name was under discussion for 
the governorship of New York. His wealth and influence were elements 
of strength to the De Lancey party. His family led in the aristocratic 
society of that date. His eldest son Robert had recently married Lady 
Mary, daughter of William Alexander (Lord Stirling) ; his daughter Ann 
was the wife of Archibald Kennedy, and resided in her stately home, 
No. 1 Broadway ; 2 his daughter Susan was the wife of Philip Kearny ; his 
daughter Mary was the youthful bride of Sir John Johnson, of Johnson 
Hall ; and his son John, who had recently been graduated from King's 
College (in 1766) was shortly to be married to his cousin Jane, the 
daughter of Peter De Lancey of Westchester. This wedding occurred in 
1775. The sister of the bride was married the same evening to Thomas, 
son of Rev. Dr. Barclay. The invited guests drove from the city to the 
De Lancey mansion in Westchester, in old-time coaches and chaises, not a 
few performing the journey on horseback. So gay and brilliant an assem- 

1 William Axtell was appointed to the Council in the place of Hon. Joseph Reade, deceased, 
whose daughter was the wife of James De Peyster. William Axtell's wife was the sister of 
James De Peyster. Their residence was in Flatbush, Long Island. — De Peyster Genealogy. 

Charles Ward Apthorpe had a beautiful country-seat (now standing) near what is Ninth 
Avenue and 91st Street : Eoger Morris's mansion was on the Heights beyond ; Oliver De 
Lancey had an elegant villa overlooking the Hudson nearer the city. 

2 See sketch, page U55 ; also sketch of Watts Mansion, page 732. 



THE COURT END OF THE TOWN. 757 

blage had hardly met since the marriage of Alice, the eldest sister of the 
brides, to the celebrated Ralph Izard, of South Carolina, some eight years 
before. John Watts, the younger, was the last City Recorder under the 
Crown; and he was one of the prominent characters of the city after the 
Revolution, of whom we shall have occasion to speak further. 

The quarter nearest the fort was the court end of the town. The man- 
sions of the Lawrences, Crugers, Van Dams, Bayards, Morrises, Van 
Homes, and other consequential families, were in full view of the Bowling 
Green. Fashion had set her face towards Wall Street, and the Ver- 
plancks, Winthrops, Marstons, Buchanans, Roosevelts, Ludlows, and a 
few others, were already there. Daniel Ludlow had a country-seat at Bar- 
retto's Point on the East River, from which he was accustomed to drive 
into the city four-in-hand during the summer months. 

Chief Justice Robert R. Livingston, father of the future chancellor, occu- 
pied a city mansion on Broadway, just north of the Wattses. His numer- 
ous sons and daughters had not all as yet reached mature age, but their 
influence was beginning to be felt. The journey of this family to and 
from their manor-house at Clermont every spring and autumn was some- 
thing imposing, for they were attended by a long train of men-servants 
and maid-servants, and the transportation either by sloop or by land occu- 
pied many days. There were many fine houses on Broadway. Nos. 9 
and 11 belonged to the Van Cortlandts, whose country-seat was at King- 
bridge. 1 They were built together, presenting a somewhat peculiar front, 
and were surrounded by grounds filled with shrubbery and flowers. No. 1 1 
was the inheritance of Eve Van Cortlandt, who married Henry White, the 
counselor, and it was where she lived for more than a half-century after 
the Revolution ; she died within its walls, August 11, 1836, aged ninety- 
eight. 2 John Stevens, whose wife was a sister of Lord Stirling, lived next 
door. Dock Street contained the handsome residences of the Wallaces. 

1 See sketch, page 697. 

2 After the death of Mrs. White the two dwelling-houses were converted into a public house 
known as the Atlantic Garden. It was pulled down a few years ago, and historic fiction hav- 
ing erroneously identified it with the Burns Cotfee-House, sundry chairs and canes were mad.' 
from its rafters. The place where the famous non-importation agreement was signed, < Ictobei 
31, 1765, was the old De Lancey homestead, just north of Trinity Church, converted into a 
public house known variously as the " Province Arms," the " New York Arms," the " York 
Arms," the " City Arms," and often called by the name of the proprietor, as " Munis Tav- 
ern," and " Bums Coffee-House." It had a variety of proprietors : Willett, Crawley, Burns, 
Bolton, Hull, and others. During the Revolution it was the favorite resort for the military 
officers on account of its piazzas and balconies, and its proximity to tin- fashionable prom- 
enade, "The Mall," in front of Trinity Church. It had a large hall-room, where concerts 
and dancing assemblies were given. In 17'.'?> it was taken down and the City Hotel erected 
on its site. — Judge Robert K. Liriiujstmi's I'nrres/inutleiiee, M'uss. Ifisl. Sue. <'"!/., X. 560. 
Progress of Nev) York in a Century, by John Austin Stevens. 



758 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

It was at the house of Hugh Wallace, the counselor, that Governor Tryon 
was sumptuously entertained on his return from England in 1775. Isaac 
Low lived also on this street ; and Eobert Gilbert Livingston, Jr., and 
Robert Cambridge Livingston. 1 Philip Livingston, the eminent merchant, 
and sinner of the Declaration of Independence, had a house on Duke 
Street, but he spent the greater part of every year at his country-seat on 
Brooklyn Heights. The ancient town-house of his brother Eobertj the 
third lord of Livingston Manor, was on Broad Street. Another brother, 
Peter Van Brugh Livingston (whose wife was the sister of Lord Stirling), 
lived on Princess Street ; another brother, John Livingston (whose wife 
was the daughter of Treasurer Abraham De Peyster), dwelt in a pre- 
tentious mansion on Queen Street ; and still another, William Livingston, 
lived on Pine Street, near the town mansion of the lord of Philipse Manor. 
He was, however, building " Liberty Hall," in Elizabeth, New Jersey, at 
this time, which he completed and occupied late in the autumn of 1773, 
having owned some one hundred and twenty acres of rich land in that 
region for the last dozen years. His four brilliant daughters were sadly 
missed when they removed from the city; and they were in no wise 
backward about expressing their own regret at the change, saying they 
expected to be " buried from society in that sequestered part of the globe." 
But, notwithstanding their gloomy predictions, the toilsome and muddy 
way from the landing was kept well trodden by gay and ever-welcome 
guests. And on the twenty-eighth day of the next April (1774), the 
beautiful Sarah Livingston, who had not yet reached her eighteenth 
birthday, was wedded to the afterward celebrated John Jay, and a large 
proportion of the notable people of New York were present at the cere- 
mony. Lord Stirling, who had married the sister of these numerous Liv- 
ingstons, had a city home on Broad Street, although his estates were 
chiefly in New Jersey. 

The De Lanceys, like the Livingstons, had many mansions, several of 
which have been already described. The most famous public house in the 
city, as far as its historic associations were concerned, Fraunces' Tavern, 
corner of Broad and Dock Streets, had been in former times the famdy 
homestead of Etienne (Stephen) De Lancey, built on land conveyed to him 
by his father-in-law, Hon. Stephanus Van Cortlandt. It was purchased 
by Samuel Fraunces in 1762, and opened under the sign of " Queen 

1 Robert Gilbert Livingston, Jr., was the grandson of Gilbert, second son of the first lord 
of the manor. He retired to Red Hook on the Hudson during the war. Robert Cambridge 
Livingston was the son of Robert, third lord of the manor ; he took his middle name, as a 
distinction, from having graduated from Cambridge University, England. His wife was Alice, 
the daughter of John Swift, one of the most beautiful and gifted women of her day. They 
had a country-seat on Brooklyn Heights. 



LOCATION OF DWELLINGS. 



759 



Charlotte." It had various mimes and keepers. Societies met here ; and 
in one of the great rooms of the second story the Chamber of Commerce 
held its monthly meetings for many years. Here occurred the immortal 
farewell of Washington to his officers in 1783. Two stories have since 
been added to the edifice, as may be seen in the sketch. 1 

Hanover Square was the great business center of the city. A few 
private dwellings of the better class were there, but the buildings were 
chiefly stores and warehouses. On the corner of Hanover Square and Sloal 
Lane was the 
mansion of Ge- 
rardW. Beekman, 
whose wife was 
Mary Duyckinck. 
He and his 
brother, James 
Beekman, sons 
of Dr. William 
Beekman and 
Catharine Petri's 
de la Noy, and 
great-grandsons 

of Hon. William Beekman, with whom the reader is acquainted, were im- 
porters and held a prominent position among the merchants. Their sister 
Cornelia was the wife of the elder William Walton. 2 James Beekman had 
recently built the Beekman mansion on the East River. 3 His wife was 
Jane Keteltas, a lady of New York birth, so clever and accomplished that 
she was able to superintend the education of her children during the seven 
years' exile of the family in the Revolution, and fitted her sons for college. 
Queen Street (now Pearl) was dotted with fine residences. One owned and 
occupied by Henry White, the counselor, was formerly the De Peyster 
mansion, with its wealth of balconies and grounds. 4 After the war it was 




1 See page 656. Among the public houses in New York at that time was one on Brown- 
john's Wharf, at the Fly Market, largely patronized by British officers ; another, near by, was 
known as "Smith's Tavern." " Bull's Head," in the Bowery Lane, was a two-story and attic 
country tavern, surrounded by pens for droves of cattle. It was near the public slaughter-house. 
Mead-houses and tea-gardens were numerous. The celebrated garden and tavern of La Mon- 
tagne was opposite the present park. " Vauxhall " was a garden at the foot of Warren Street, 
reaching to Chambers Street, the residence foi-merly of Major James of Stamp- Act Riot mem- 
ory. Coffee-houses were much in vogue. The " Merchants' Coffee-House " stood on the south- 
east corner of Wall and Water Streets, the site later occupied by the Journal of Commerce. 

2 See sketch of Walton mansion, page 6S4. 

8 See sketch of Beekman mansion, page 569. 
4 See sketch, page 656. 



7G0 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the residence of George Clinton, the first governor of New York as a State. 
To the north of it was the home of Andrew Elliot, lieutenant-governor 
from 1780 to 1783, whose daughter married Lord Cathcart ; another 
daughter married James Jauncey, the counselor. The Brevoorts resided 
in the same neighborhood ; also Whitehead Hicks, mayor of the city from 
1766 to 1776, who married the only child of John Brevoort. Elias Des- 
brosses, whose name has been perpetuated by a street ; James Duane, the 
famous lawyer, whose wife was the daughter of Robert, third lord of 
Livingston Manor; Theophylact Bache, 1 fifth president of the Chamber 
of Commerce ; one branch of the Van Zandts, and many other families of 
note lived upon this street. Walter Franklin, an importing merchant 
of the time, occupied an elegant mansion on the corner of Cherry Street 
and Franklin Scpiare (near the Walton House), which was afterwards the 
residence of the first President of the United States. He owned, besides, 
a beautiful country-seat at Maspeth, which became in course of time the 
residence of De Witt Clinton, who married his daughter. 

Shops and places of business were upon every street to some extent. 
Of the great sugar-houses, one, owned by the Livingstons, was on Lib- 
erty Street near the Dutch Church ; another, a massive structure, built 
by Henry Cuyler, Jr., for his heir Barent Rynders Cuyler (in 1769), and 
later belonging to the Rhinelauders, is still standing on the corner of Rose 
and Duane Streets. There was one, also, which belonged to the Van 
Cortlandts, on the northwest corner of Trinity Churchyard ; and another, 
built by the Roosevelts, on Skinner Street near the Walton House. The 
Bayard sugar-house on Wall Street was, in 1773, converted into a tobacco 
manufactory. Sidewalks had only reached St. Paul's Chapel. Broadway 
above that point was a pleasant country-road, open nearly as far as An- 
thony Street. The map will give the reader a general idea of the farms 
and country-seats upon Manhattan Island at this point in our narrative. 

Governor Tryon, accompanied by his wife, visited Sir William John- 
son, at Johnson Hall, in the summer of 1772, his ostensible object being 
to meet the Mohawk sachems in relation to their land grievances ; his 
real purpose, to effect some land purchases for private speculation. The 
settlement of Johnstown had become a flourishing village, and the whole 
valley of the Mohawk wore the appearance of a rich farming country. 
Oliver De Lancey and Henry White, with several other gentlemen, were 

1 Theophylact Bache married Ann Dorothy, daughter of Andrew Barclay. Of Mrs. Bache's 
siaters, Catharine married Augustus Van Cortlandt ; Sarah married Anthony Lispenard ; Ann 
Margaret married Francis Jay ; Helena married Major Moncrieff, a British officer of distinc- 
tion ; and Charlotte Amelia married Dr. Richard Bailey. Richard Bache, a younger brother 
of Theophylact, married Sarah, the only daughter of Benjamin Franklin. 




7 










j ij I jo u & AI 




U 



& S ) 



<v 









~ Is. 



fy^P 4 






\M, 






! 









^S 






: if S 1 & 



~k3N %■>• 






X>' 









>i ' y>-^ 



<fK>^ 



-*s^^ 



a a ii 



H 7 



LLSTBESS OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY. 761 

present at this conference with the Indians. The militia of the region, 
amounting to upwards of fourteen hundred effective men, of whom John- 
son was justly proud, 1 Was reviewed by Tryou before he left. The nexl 
spring, Tryon traveled through New England, and was hospitably entei 
tamed by Governor Trumbull of Connecticut; and he also visited the 
different districts of Xew Jersey. 3 An act having been passed by the 
Assembly for founding the present New York Hospital, he laid i 773 . 
the corner-stone in July of the same year. The scheme originated Juiy23. 
with three physicians, Drs. Middleton, Jones, and Bard, who had started 
subscription-lists three years before. Five acres of land on Broadwaj 
between Duane and Anthony Streets had been secured, and the buildings 

were erected at a cost of some % IS, While in process of completion, 

they took fire and sustained great injury. They were finished just in 
time to be used as barracks for the British soldiers in 1776. 

The persistent refusal of the colonies to receive tea from England 
finally brought distress upon the Easl India Company. Its stock de- 
preciated nearly one half. 3 It could not pay its annual debt to the Brit- 
ish government, which was a terrific shock to credit. The directors con- 
fessed their bankrupt condition and entreated Parliament for relief. Lord 
North, determined not to relinquish the right to tax the colonies, proposed 
to allow the company to export its teas duty free in England, which 
would enable the colonists to buy at a lower juice. Hence an act of 
Parliament to that effect. 

The tranquillity of Xew York, which for months had been in singular 
contrast to the raging of political elements in other portions of America, 
was fiercely disturbed by this intelligence, and that tea ships were on the 
ocean destined for her port. Such an attempt to enforce the controverted 
tax was offensive in the superlative degree. The whole city was in com- 
motion. " The general voice is no sales, no consumption, while the Ameri- 
can duty remains unrepealed by Parliament," wrote Trvon. 4 " The tea shall 
not be landed," was the universal and emphatic exclamation. Two 
days alter Philadelphia had convinced her tea agents of the policy 
of resigning their appointments, a meeting was held at the ( 'ity Hall in W all 
Street, where Tea Commissioners were denounced, and resolution- 
thanking masters of vessels who had refused their ships to the use of the 
East India Company. The attempted monopoly of trade was stign 
a " public robbery." The columns of the newspapers ran over with anony- 

thi Earl of Hillsborough, August 31, 177-. 
- Governor Tryon to th.- Earl of Dartmouth, May 31, 1773. 
' Bancroft, VI. 4 ".7 -465. 
• '." rrravr Tryon to the Earl of Dartmouth, November 3, 177a. 



762 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW TORE. 

mous articles on the subject, and handbills were circulated freely among 
the people. 1 "The Alarm" was conspicuous among the latter, issued in 
series, the writer signing himself " Hampden." " If you touch one grain 
of the accursed tea, you are undone," was the sentiment it conveyed. 
There were others signed "Cassius," "A Farmer," "A Tradesman," "A 
Student of the Law," etc. "America is threatened with worse than 

Egyptian slavery The language of the Revenue Act is that you 

have no property you can call your own; that you are the vassals, the 

livestock of the people of Great Britain The inhabitants of New 

York have more wisdom and spirit than to be duped into a measure thai 
will ruin their commerce and enslave them," were some of the bold words 
which fell from holder pens. "Within three weeks the New York agents 
prudently retired from the field. It was thereupon announced that gov- 
ernment would take charge of the tea upon its arrival. 

The Sons of Liberty reorganized at once. The salient features of the 
Association, to which t'hey subscribed their names, and which Mas 
passed from hand to hand through the city for signatures, appear 
in the following extracts : " It is essential to the freedom and security of 
a free people that uo taxes be imposed upon them but by their own con- 
sent; .... for what property have they in that which another may by r 
right take when he pleases to himself '..... and yet, to the astonish- 
ment of all the world and the grief of America, the Commons of Great 

Britain insist upon imposing taxes on the colonies To prevent a 

calamity which of all others is the most to be dreaded, — slavery and its 
terrible concomitants, — we, the subscribers, being disposed to use all 
lawful endeavors in our power to defeat the pernicious project, and to 
transmit to our posterity the blessings of freedom which our ancestors 
have handed down to us ; and to contribute to the support of the common 
liberties of America which are in danger of being subverted, DO agree 
.... and engage our honor to and with each other faithfully to observe 
and perform." Then came a list of stem resolutions. Owners and oc- 
cupants of stores were warned against harboring the tea; and whoever 
should dare to transgress in the way of aiding or assisting in the landing, 
carting, or depositing of the tea, or in buying or selling, or in any manner 
contributing to the purchase or sale of the tea, was threatened as an 
enemy to the liberty of his country; at the same time handbills were 
issued notifying the "Mohawks" to hold themselves in readiness for 
active work. 

The tea ships reached Boston first, and the world is aware how the 
issue was met. At the very moment when three hundred and forty 

1 Handbills preserved in New York Historical Society. 



Dec. 17. 



THE NEW YORK TEA MEETING. 763 

chests of the condemned article were mixing with the salt of Boston 
harbor, handbills were being distributed through New York calling 
a meeting of "All Friends to the Liberties and Trade of America " De ° 
for one o'clock the next day, at the City Hall, " on business of the utmi si 
importance." The weather was bad, yel a great crowd of citizens 
assembled at the time appointed, and were addressed by John Lamb. 
After statin- the object of the meeting, lie read letters from Boston and 
Philadelphia on the subject of the "dutiedtea"; lie also read the Asso- 
ciation of the s.nis of Liberty, with the resolutions previously adopted. 

Jusl then the Mayor, Whitehead Hieks. 1 entered, : apanied by the 

Recorder, Robert R. Livingston (afterwards Chancellor), and, taking his 
place neat' the speaker, -aid: — 

"Gentlemen, I have a message from tin- government to deliver to you. The 
governor declares that tin- tea will he put into tin' fort at noonday, ami en- 
gages his honor that it shall continue there till the Council shall advise it to be 
delivered out, or till tin' king's order or tin' proprietor's order is known ; and 
then the tea shall be delivered out at noonday. Gentlemen, is this satisfactory 
to you ] " 

There was an immediate and boisterous response of " No ! No ! No!" 

Lamb proceeded, excitedly, t<> read the Act of Parliament which pre- 
scribed the payment of the duty upon the landing of the tea, and after 
some pertinent remarks upon the giving and granting of the prop< 
the Americans, asked, " Is it, then, your opinion, gentlemen, that the tea 
should be landed under this cireumst; 

There was one prolonged and vociferous shout which echoed far into 
reet, and was three times repeated, "No ! No ! No! " 

It was voted unanimously that the action of the meeting should he 
published and transmitted to the other colonies, after which it adjourned 
to await the arrival of the tea ship. 

The winter wore away, yet it did not appear, having been de- 1774. 
tained by contrary Minds. In April Governor Tryon and his pr 
family sailed for Europe for a brief absence, and the affairs of government 
once more devolved upon Lieutenant-Governor ('olden. The sails of the 
vessel which hore the governor across the seas had hardly disapj 
when the tea ship, Nancy, Captain Lockyer, arrived off Sandj II" b 
The pilot declined to bring her through the Narrows until the sense oi 

1 Whitehead Hicks, son of Thomns Hieks, was born at Flashing, Long Island, August 24, 
17-Js. He studied law with Judge William Smith, in the same class with Will, 
the historian (son of the former), and William Livingston. He rosi 

was mayor of the eitj from 1766 to 1776, when he resigned on being appointed one of the 
Judges of the Snpremi Court He died in 1780. 



764 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

the city was known. Handbills were quickly iu circulation, and the 
committee decided that the captain's request to visit Hon. ^ Henry 
White, one of the consignees, and to procure supplies for his return 
voyage should be granted, but none of his crew might come ashore; he 
■was to be attended and closely watched in all his movements by 
pr ' a special committee chosen for the purpose. 
On the 22d the London, Captain Chambers, arrived, and on being 
visited by the committee denied having any tea on board. Private infor- 
mation from Philadelphia, however, induced an examination; none 
' being found, the vessel was conducted to the city, and the captain 
informed that every package in the hatches must be overhauled. He imme- 
diately confessed that he had eighteen chests stored below which hail been 
shipped for private speculation. The committee went to the Merchants 
Coffee-House to consult with a number of gentlemen there assembled, 
and presently made a public announcement that the tea on the London 
was confiscated. Meanwhile an excited multitude collected on the wharf, 
and without disguise or ceremony proceeded to the execution of justice. 
A proper guard was detailed by the merchants to prevent waste, and the 
tea was thrown into the bay, without confusion or injury to other prop- 
erty. The captain was nowhere to be found. 

The next morning the hells of the city began to ring at eight o'clock, 
according to a previous notice for the calling of the citizens together to 
witness the departure of Captain Lockyer. The object was to let 
him see with his own eyes, and thus be able to report truthfully 
in England, the detestation with which the measures of the English Min- 
istry were regarded in New York. The bells rang for an hour without 
intermission (he was to embark at nine), and an immense but orderly 
throng filled the streets. He was conducted from his lodgings to the 
wharf, the band playing "God save the King," and placed in a pilot-boat 
— still under escort — and conveyed to his vessel, the ships in the harbor 
displaying their colors, and the flag on the liberty-pole rising under a 
royal salute of artillery. 

Even while New York was thus sending back her tea ship in the most 

public manner, the bill was maturing at the Court of George III. which 

was to punish Boston for her misbehavior. On the same day that 

May in 

Louis XVI. of France, then not twenty years of age. and the still 
more youthful Marie Antoinette found themselves at the head of the 
French nation, Boston learned her fate. On the 1st of June the 
slow torture was applied which was to force her into submis- 
sion; her port was closed, the Board of Customs removed to Marblehead 
and the seat of government to Salem. General Gage was the military 



THE COMMITTEE OF FIFTY-ONE. 7(1.0 

executor of the law. There was one spontaneous outburst of sympathy 
from every town and hamlet iu America. In Philadelphia the bells 
of the churches were muffled and tolled throughout the entire day when 

the cheerful industry of Boston came to an end. In Virginia the \ pie 

lasted and prayed in the churches. Ships all along the seaboard hoiste I 
their colors at half-mast. 

New York writhed under the wrong inflicted upon Boston. When the 
copy of the Port Act was first received, the city stood, like one man, 
astonished that all Parliament had assented to such cruelty. Then 
followed a whirlwind of indignation and dismay. The hill was 
cried through the streets as a "barbarous murder," and there was such 
an uprising of the people, with nightly processions and effigy burnings, 
that the more substantial part of the community feared serious riot-, and 
resolved to guide the movement ; hence a meeting was called at Fraunces' 
Tavern, which proved so large, comprising men from all ranks,- com- 
merce, politics, and the professions, — that it was necessary to adjourn to 
the Exchange, Isaac Low occupied the chair. The proposition to choose 
a committee of control and correspondence was well received. Put in 
the choice of the committee two parties battled for precedence. It was 
the old story, men striving for individual preferment. The radical leaders 
of the Sons of Liberty were determined to retain the direction of affairs, 

and when public sentiment decided in favor of the opposite ticket, 

■ • , • , , ,. , -i Mi, y 17 - 

comprising, as it did, a greater number 01 names and a wider 

range of interest, they were intensely bitter in their denunciation of every 
movement not in harmony with their preconceived notions of the meth- 
ods by which oppression should be resisted. 

The Committee of Fifty-One organized, on the 23d, with the appoint- 
ment of Isaac Low chairman, and John Alsop deputy-chairman. < »ne of 

the first propositions was a congress of the Colonies, which should 

• T T T i t Ma y 23 - 

regulate the subject of non-importation. Isaac Low, John Jay, 

James Duane, and Alexander McDougall were chosen to draft a letter to 
suffering Boston, and a clear, concise, straightforward document was pre- 
pared and signed the same evening. " The cause is general," it said, 
"and concerns a whole continent who are equally interested with you 
and with us ; .... we foresee no remedy can be of any avail unless it 
proceeds from the joint act and approbation of all." 

This letter, preserved in the New York Historical Society, settles the 
question as to the origin of the Continental Congress of 1774. It was 
not an "achievement of the Sons of Liberty," — that organization hav- 
ing been invested with no power beyond the disposal of the tea, bul 
a result of the calmer judgment of the much misrepresented Fifty-One 



766 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

who not only vividly remembered how New York had been allowed to 
keep former non-importation agreements alone, but regarded the matter 
as too grave and important at this crisis for individual colonial action. 
There was no "refusal to adopt stringent measures against the parent 
government." On the contrary, there was a cordial pledge, frankly 
Stated in a subsequent letter dated June 5, to agree to any measure 
which should be adopted by a general congress. A complication in the 
correspondence with the Boston committee, winch has misled nearly 
every historian who has since written of the action of New York in 
the spring of 1774, was brought about through a letter of condolence 
(dated May 14), written in the heat ami heedlessness of excitement by 
certain members of the old committee of the Sons of Liberty, which 
announced the meeting in contemplation to choose a new commit- 
tee, and pledged the organization in advance to non-importation. The 
Fifty-One knew nothing of it until Boston took them to task for not 
suspending trade. Of course the pledge was pi'onounced " unofficial" ; 
and in return the Fifty-One were accused of seeking " to evade decisive 
action." It is very evident, however, while scanning events through 
the light of a century, that had New York adopted the weak measure, 
on the start, so earnestly desired by Boston, there would have been no 
congress at that time, if ever. It was only when Boston found that 
New York would be satisfied with nothing less than a congress of the 
Colonies that she consented. 

When the concurrence of the other Colonies had also been obtained, 
and Philadelphia named as the place, and September the time, for the 

meeting of the Congress, New York proceeded to choose delegates. 

The Fifty-One nominated Philip Livingston, John Alsop, Isaac 
Low. James Duane, and John Jay, three merchants ami two lawyers. Isaac 
Scars, noisy and headstrong, labored to procure the nomination of John 
Ali n in Scott and Alexander McDougall, in which he was ably seconded 
by the sagacious and inflexible Peter Van Brugh Livingston ; not suc- 
ceeding, an opposition ticket appeared the next day whereon the names 
of McDougall and Leonard Lispenard were substituted for James Duane 
and John Alsop. A meeting called in the Fields, July 6, was presided 
over by McDougall himself, 1 and a violent effort was made by the dis- 
satisfied to form a party sufficiently strong to control the election. The 
people were exhorted to beware of the tameness of the Fifty-One, and 
to imitate Boston in her devotion to rigid non-intercourse. Besolutions 

1 Compaiv Bcmcroft, VII. ; Leake's Life of John Lamb ; Letter from Col den to Dartmouth, 
June 1, 1774 ; Coldcn to Dartmouth, July 6, 1774 ; Handbills in New York Historical So- 
ciety ; Stevens's Chamber of Commerce Records. See also Appendix C. 



THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS OF 1774. 767 

were passed to that effect, and, with an account of the proceedings of 
the meeting, were despatched, to Boston. 

In the committee-room of the Fifty-One the next morning, the irregu- 
lar meeting in the Fields, and the questionable propriety of the course of 
McDougall in acting as its chairman while one of their own num- 
ber, were discussed with much warmth. A vote was finally passed, y 
censuring the proceedings as unauthorized and as tending to cast odium 
upon the committee and create disunion in the city. A minority of nine, 
among whom were Sears, McDougall, Lispenard, and Peter Van Brugh 
Livingston, immediately withdrew in high temper. In the strife which 
followed the Fifty-One firmly adhered to its nomination, and were in- 
vincible to every assault made upon its purity of purpose and integrity. 
A card was finally addressed to the nominees, asking whether they would 
support the Massachusetts resolves in the approaching Congress. Thej 
replied promptly and publicly that such a course would be in accordance 
with their individual opinions, which gave such universal satisfaction thai 
when the question was submitted, July 28, to the voters of the city, all 
differences were for the time healed. 

Few events in the history of America have so deeply moved the public 
mind as the meeting of this first ( longress. Men were everywhere weigh- 
ing the issues. The vision of possibly establishing an independent re- 
public on American soil was vague, and the prudent knew that it was a 
doubtful experiment. There was no precedent from which to borrow 
models. And if successful in breaking away from England, there was 
danger of falling into bloody dissensions among themselves. August was 
a memorable mouth. The delegates from Massachusetts to the Congress 
were escorted and feted on their way as if they had been princes of the 
realm. They spent a few days in New York. John Adams wrote in his 
journal that John Morin Scott was a lawyer of fifty, living in an elegant 
country-seat three miles out of the city on the Hudson, and that lie was 
"a sensible man. and one of the readiest speakers on the continent, but 
not very polite"; McDougall "was talkative, and appeared to have a thor- 
ough knowledge of politics," he lived handsomely, and had a charming wife 
and daughter; Peter Van Brugh Livingston " was an old man, extremely 
stanch in the cause, and very sensible " ; William Smith the historian 
"was a plain, composed man, a little turned of forty"; John Jay "was 
young, a hard student of the law, and a good speaker"; James Duane 
was about forty-five, "very sensible and very artful, and had a sly, sur- 
veying eye"; Isaac Low "was a gentleman of fortune, and in trade, and 
his wife was a beauty." They were treated by the Fifty-One with dis- 
tinguished consideration, and were attended into New Jersey August 29. 



768 HISTORY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 

The New York delegates commenced their journey September 1, with 
the exception of John Jay, who crossed to Elizabethtown, August 29, and, 
in company with his father-in-law, William Livingston, proceeded to the 
Quaker City. Isaac Low was escorted to the ferry stairs at the foot of 
Cortlandt Street by a great number of the inhabitants, with banners and 
music and huzzas. At the water's edge he took leave, with a brief speech ; 
a few persons accompanied him and his lady to the New Jersey shore, 
the band playing " God save the King." The inhabitants then returned, 
so say the papers of the day, to testify the like respect to the other three 
gentlemen, Philip Livingston, James Duane, and John Alsop, who em- 
barked at the foot of Broad Street. When the procession reached the 
Exchange, Duane thanked the people, "in a very affectionate and moving 
manner," fur the honor conferred, and declared that he and his brother 
delegates should do all in their power to bring relief to this once happy 
hut now aggrieved country. They were saluted as they crossed the water 
by several pieces of cannon, and loud huzzas rent the air ; after which a 
number of gentlemen celebrated the event at St. George's Ferry, dating 
the salvation of America from that hour, and resolved at the risk of all 
they held dear to respect the resolutions which Congress should think 
necessary to adopt for the good of the common cause. 

As the distress of Boston was hourly increasing, one of the earliest acts 
of this first Congress was to approve the opposition of Massachusetts to the 
execution of the late acts of Parliament. It presently adopted a Decla- 
ration of Rights, in which the repeal of eleven acts of Parliament were 
specified as necessary to the restoration of harmony between the Colonies 
and Great Britain. It also unanimously resolved to import no merchan- 
dise from Great Britain after the first day of the coming December, unless 
American grievances were redressed. It ended, October 26, with a petition 
to the king, which, however, made no impression upon George III. other 
than to confirm him in his purpose of exacting obedience ; but its mem- 
bers, with keen political foresight, provided for the holding of another 
Congress in Philadelphia on the 16th of the coming May, which proved, 
indeed, the immortal Congress that declared the independence of America. 
The New York Committee of Fifty-One, having accomplished its object, 
appointed a day for the choice, by the freeholders of the city, of a " Com- 
mittee of Observation," numbering sixty, to enforce in New York the 
Non-Importation Act of the late Congress ; and when this new com- 
mittee was duly elected and organized, with Isaac Low as chairman, the 
Fifty-One was dissolved. 



APPENDIX 



A. 

The iuscription upon the Schuyler vase is as follows : — 

Presented by 

Anne Queen of England 

to 

Col Peter Schuyler of Albany 

In the Province of New York 

April lit, 1710. 

To commemorate his visit to England by request 

of the Provincial government, accompanied 

by live sachems of the MOHAWKS. 

Page 480. 

B. 

The inscription upon the old bell in Dr. Ludlow's church is as follows : 

Me fecerunt De Gravte et N. Mullcr, 

Amsterdam, Anno 1781, 

Abraham De Peyster, 

geboren (born) den 8 July, 1657, 

gestorven (died) den 8 Augustus, 1728. 

Een legaat aan de Nederduytsche Kerke, Nieuw York. 

(A legacy to the Low Dutch Church at New York.) 



At a meeting at the Exchange, 16th May. 1771, Isaac Low chosen Chair- 
man : — 

1st Question put. Whether it is necessary, for the present, to appoint a committee 
to correspond with the neighboring Colonies on tin- present important crisis ! 

Carried in the affirmative by a great majority. 

2d. Whether a committee be nominated this evening for the approbation of the 

public > 

Carried in the affirmative by a great majority. 

:: I. Whether of fifty be appointed, or twenty-five 1 

Carried for fifty by a great majority. 



70 



APPENDIX. 



The following jjersons were nominated : — 



John Alsop. 

William Bayard. 

Theophylact Bache. 

Peter Van Brugh Livingston. 

Philip Livingston. 

Isaac Sears. 

I lavid Johnston. 

Charles McEvers. 

< iharles Nichol. 

Alexander Mil tougall. 

C-aptain Thomas Randall. 

John Moore. 

Isaac Low. 

Leonard Lispenard. 

Jacobus Van Zandt. 

James Duane. 

Edward Laight. 



Thomas Pearsal. 
Elias Desbrosses. 
William Walton. 
Richard Yates. 
John De Lancey. 
Miles Sherbrook. 
John Thurman. 
John Jay. 
John Broom. 
Benjamin Booth. 
Joseph Hallet. 
( lharles Shaw. 
Alexander Wallace. 
James Jauncey. 
< iabriel II. Ludlow. 
Nicholas Hoffman. 
Abraham Walton. 



Gerardus Duyckinck. 
Peter Van Schaick. 
Henry Remsen. 
Hamilton Young. 
George Bowne. 
Peter T. Curtenius. 
Peter Goelet. 
Abraham Brasher. 
Abraham P. Lott. 
David Van Home. 
Gerardus W. Beekman. 
Abraham Duryee. 
Joseph Bull. 
William McAdam. 
Richard Sharpe. 
Thomas Marston. 



The name of Francis Lewis was afterward added, making the number fifty-one. 

Handbill in Kew York Historical Society. 



D. 



The Committee of Sixty, known as the 
Xovemher 22, 1774, were as follows : — 



Committee of Observation," elected 



Isaac Low. 

Philip Livingston. 

James Duane. 

John Alsof. 

John Jay. 

Peter Van Brugh Livingston. 

Isaac Sears. 

David Johnston. 

I lharles Nichol. 

Alexander McDougall. 

Thomas Randall. 

Leonard Lispenard. 

Edward Laight. 

William Walton. 

John Broom. 

Joseph Hallett. 

Charles Shaw. 

Nicholas Hoffman. 

Abraham Walton. 

Peter Van Schaick. 



Henry Remsen. 
Peter T. Curtenius. 
Abraham Brasher. 
Abraham P. Lott. 
Abraham Duryee. 
Joseph Bull. 
Francis Lewis. 
John Lasher. 
John Roome. 
Joseph Totten. 
Samuel Jones. 
John De Lancey. 
Frederick Jay. 
William W. Ludlow. 
John B. Moore. 
George Janeway. 
Rodolphus Ritzema. 
Lindley Murray. 
Lancaster Burling. 
Thomas Ives. 



Hercules Mulligan. 
John Anthony. 
Francis Basset. 
Victor Bicker. 
John White. 
Theophilus Anthony. 
William Goforth. 
William Denning. 
Isaac Rosevelt. 
Jacob Van Voorhees. 
Jeremiah Piatt. 
William Ustick. 
Comfort Sands. 
Robert Benson. 
William W. Gilbert. 
John Bel lian. 
Gabriel H. Ludlow. 
Nicholas Roosevelt. 
Edward Fbiuming. 
Lawrence Embive. 
Force's American Archives, p. 330. 



APPENDIX. 



771 



The Mayors of New York City 

Thomas Willet, 1665, 1667. 
Thomas Delavall, 1666, 1671, 107'. 
( ornelis Steenwyck, 1668-1670, 1682, 
Matthias Nicolls, 1672. 
.Tohn Lawrence, 1673, 1691. 
"William Dervall, 1695. 
Nicholas De Meyer, 1676. 
Stephanus Van Cortlandt, 1677, 1686, 
Francis Rombovtts, 1679. 
William Dyer, 1680, 1681. 
Gahriel Minvielle, 1684. 
Nicholas Bayard, 1685. 
Peter de la Noy, 1689, 1690. 
Abraham de Peyster, 1692-1695. 
William Merritt, 1695-1698. 
Johannes de Peyster, 1698, 1699. 
David Provoost, 1699, 1700. 



before the Revolution were: — 

[saac de Riemer, 1700, 1701. 

Thomas Noell, 1701, 1702. 
1683. Philip French, 1702, 1703 

William Peartree, 1703-1707. 

Ebenezer Wilson, 1707 - 17 In. 

Jacobus V.m Cortlandt, 1710, 1711, 1711', 15 

Caleb Heathcote, 1711 -1714. 
1687. John Johnson, 1714 - 1710. 

Robert Walters, 1720- 1725. 

Johannes Jansen, 172.">. 1720. 

Robert Lurting, 1720- 17:::.. 

Paul Richards, 1735- 1739 

John Cruger, 1739-174 4. 

Stephen Bayard, 17 14 - 1747. 

Edward Holland. 1717 1757. 

John ' 'ruger, 177.7 - 1766. 

Whitehead Hicks, 1766-1776. 



The Governors and Acting Governors of New York before the Revolution 
were : — 



Peter Minuet. 
Wonter Van Twiller. 
Wilhelm Kieft. 
Peter Stuyvesant. 
Richard Nicolls. 

Francis Lovel: 

Admirals Evertzen & Biuckes 

Anthony I 

Sir Edmund Andros. 

Anthony Brockholls. 

Thomas 1 'origan. 

Francis Nicholson. 

Jacob Leisler. 



Henry Sloughter. 
Richard Ingoldsby. 
Benjamin Fletcher. 
Earl of Bellomont. 
Abraham de Peysti r. 
John Nanfan. 
Lord C01 nbury. 
Lord Lovelace. 
1 ir. < [erardus Beekman. 
Robert Hunter. 
Peter Schuyler. 
William Burnet. 
John Montgomery. 



Rip Van Ham. 
William Corby. 
George Clarke. 
Admiral George 1 linton. 
Sir Danvers 1 Isborne. 
.lam. - De Lancey. 
Sir Charles Hardy. 
C'adwallader Coldeu. 
Robert Mom kton. 

Sir Henry M e 

Earl of Dunmore. 
Sir William Tryon. 



INDEX. 



A. 

\a icunreu, Mvjos-UtNEr.vi.. i«S, 669, 670,671,673, 

i)7'> attacks Tic leroga. 076, '.77, 079, recalled 

Acadia, 650, 65] 

Adams, John, 767, comments on prominent New- 

Yorkers 
Adolphus, Gustavus, 346. 

Adriaeosen, Maryn, 99. one of the " Twelve Ven " 
llbany, 30,61, 153,221 

Alexander, .lames, 4SS. 503, arrival of, description of, 
marriage, A.- . 7,n4. le\ol,>| nt of, 506, surveyor- 

K.-n.-ral, ;,lll, 514, counselor, 7.3 i. 7.4S, 71'.', 7,7,'J, 
excluded from tin- liar, 7,77, Mil. .V.:!, 5, 74, 7,0.7, 'r'.,, 
restored to tip' tar, 70S. ,',•..' a--, nil.lv man. 5,6, 509, 

oos, 010,1,19.03-, 017.057. 7"1 

r, Wllliaui il.orl _ Sjrling). 5n0. 7.U7. .j.i'J. 

marriage of, 047, 019, 7"5, 7" '>, 07', 713. 756, 757, 

758 
Allerton, Isaac, 147 
Allvn, Matthew, 223, ambassador to New York, 306, 

324,325, 34 : 
Alsop, John, 740, family of, 765, 766, 708. 
America, 12. earliest record of. 14. discovery of, 

15, It;, the natural wealth of, 17, is, 20, Spanish 

discoveries, 23, 27., '- 11 2 Kugli-h colonic, in, 3 7 
natives of, 46, lands of. 1U3, 27''., affairs of, 9 IS. 

Amherst, Sir . Jeffrey, 679. character of. Osu, OS i 

Anderson, Rev .James, 505. 

Anilros, Sir Edmund .oo, rn.,r ,. 26 7 267 character 
and f.nnilv of, 26s. an .,:.•' 27" 77 : 271. 277,27:', 
sails f,,r England, 282 i u ■ of, 290 291 ai re I 
the governor of Now ,i, ,-.,.\, -jo.:, •_-. 17, remark- about, 
3HS, .323, reaches Boston a. governor of N. 17,324, 
war upon charters, 327. death of wife of, 340, 341, 
arrested by [{evolutionists of 10S9, :>4. honorably 
diseharged bv William 111. 

Anne, Queen, 281. education of, 367. in m iago „f, f.s, 
crowned, 459, 4S4, 46s, death of. 7,72, gifts of 

Anthony, Allard, I'll, sohopeu, lis",, ambassador to 
Holland, ISO, 222. sheriff. 227,, 226. a-c-e.l for 
English soldiers, 236, 27,6, commissioner, 26". re- 
moval from otnee. 

Apthorpe, Charles Ward, 730 

Arminius, of Leyden, 24 

Arm, Id, Captain Is , 

\shtiold, Klchanl, 7,61 

Ashton, Thomas, 283, marshal of th urt 

Ashurst, sir Henry , ;7;s 
Ishurst, sir \\ illiam, 416, 112 
Aspinwall, John, 564. 

Atkinson, Theodore, 641. 

Atwood, Chief .Justice. 446, 47,6, arrival of, 47,1, 47,3, 

455. judicial jurisdiction ,,f, 17,6., 47,7, 47.S, senten I 

Nicholas Bayard to death, 46' '. absconOo.l 

Auchmutv, Rev. Dr. Samuel. 632. marriage ,,t, 71.', 
family of, 751. 

Aztell, William, 750, wife of. 

B. 
Bvnnz, Tiifiocutiact. 683, "60, residence of, in 1774. 

Backer, Jacob. 207,, 2116 

Backerus, Dominie Johannes, 136.111 146 



portrait of, 41, describe. I, 



Baker, Roger, 451 

Baker Thi mas, 227 

Halt in ,re, Lord, 193, 201, son of, 244. 295. 

Barbaric, John, 471, c,,ui,-,l,,r, 1-6. wile of 7,26 ,lc, t, 

of. 
Barclay, Helen, 607. 
Barclay. Rev. II. on. 5-5. 590,032, marriage of 638 

647,687, 723, 746, death of. 

Barclay. 16, , M i a- -,u..t 0. v . Ilourv I. 77,0 marri.c.'col 
Bard, Dr., 761. 
Barentaen, Peter, 49, 
Barnes, Abraham, 641 
Barneveld, John of, 23, 

II. 17 execution of. 
Barre (in Parliament), 715, 716, speech of 
Baxter, George, 126, 134, 149, 167, 1S3, 167, 
Baxter, Jarvis, 3739, counselor. 
Bav.irt, Balthazar. 616, 66 ,, family of 

Bayard, Peter, 289 

Bayard, Peter, boo. 

Bayard, Mrs. Judith (widow of Nicholas,, 128 de- 
scription of, 129, 1-7, 

Bayard, Nicholas (-on of above), 129, 211, 231, secre- 
tary of city, character ,,f, ,v.c , 241, survevor of prov- 
ince, 2'',", secretary ,,f province. 263. eincienci Of 
294,309. alderman', 315, minor a, 16 ,.,,,,,,-elor 16-7 
61 7. drafted eify charter, 377 62". 12- .12 1 , 1 
613. 614. colonel of militia, 217 ,06. ,1. 1 
press Revolution, 37,1.1, 3',I. 372. ::::,. deputed with 
government, 354, 355, 356, 357, Hi of , 365 illness 
of family, 3'i6. private return, 367, search for, 370, 
371, struggle for power, 374. arrest and imprison- 
ment of, 375. sick in |,ri-,,o 3-1. -" :-7 relca-cd 

with .innor, 403, 462 161, at it,,. 16, .61-I urt. 444, 

451, 456. arrest of, 167 . iprisonmenl for high 
treason, 458', trial of, and deatl ■ tei e, 460, 461, ac- 
quittal of, and restoration to h rs, 505 

erty of 

It ,\ u'l, -uiiiiel, 451 marriage of. 456, 

Bayard, .Stephen, 564, 610 n-rloi-. 619. 623. 

Bayard. William, 711. 

Beardsley, John, 741 

Beckford (in Parliament*, 715 

Bellow, Isaac. 226, 243, counselor. 

Bookman, William, 161, schepen. 162, rlesrrip 
&c.,201, governor of colony "i, the Dels rai 
sheriff at Ksopus, 222, 242,' entertain n , : 
ernors, 260 schepen again, 269, welcomes G 
Andres, 274, 301, mayor, [house at Rhir, 

360, sou of, 386, Bookman jinn-. 390, Offo! 
rity for release of son of, 607 

06 of, 759. house of grandson or. 
Beekman, Colonel Henrv (son of William), 416, fa v 

Beekman. Colonel Henrv .sou ,,| Colonel Henry), 568, 
5S2.623. 632. 

6s, 206 207. 



prop- 



alderman. 166. I'ain- 



Beelili 

Beekman, Dr. 
portrait of, 



erardus, 359. justice of the peace, 36(1 
71 11 , :- , expostulates with 

Be.k arms, 388, trial for treason, 

389, 1,. ,,)■..' I,- o a- 1 1 ,, , 6'ii prays forpardon, 

107. liberated, 408, 416, brother of, 460, counselor, 
47S, president of council, and acting governor of 

v v. fork, 183,496, familj coach of, 684, daughter of. 



774 



INDEX. 



Eei-kmim, Mairdaloiia fwifi? of Dr. Gcrardus Bookman) 
890,684 

B,eki„aii, In- William. DI7, 684, sister of. 

Bookman, Gerard W., 759, residence of, in 1774. 

Bookman, .ini 569, house of, built in 1763 

Beekman, Bon Jan,,- u ., 496. 

Belgium, 23, 24. 

i out, Earl of, 394, 413, 424,425, governor of New 

York, 427, arrival of, reception, description, family 

"'', &■• ,428 asures. 42:'. eouHiets, 430, 431,433 

developments, 434. complications, 435, fierce at- 
tack upon the landholders, 43li, 437, serious 

nters rage, 439, energy of, 440 

is, 441, in Boston, 412, 111, ac 

ults of death of, 



attacks the ehurchi 
used, 445, 446, death of,' 447, i 



onsen, 44:,, ill), .t.-atli ot, 44, , resul 

Bellomont, Lady, 427, 441, 442, 446, 463. 

Benedict, Thomas, 2(12, family of, 227, delegate to 

Hempstead Convention. 
Benedict, Tl ias, Jr., 202. 

Benedict, Hon. Erastus C , family of, 202. 

Benson, Judge Egbert, 401, 741. 
Bentyn, Jar, pies, 67, 98. 
Berrlan, John, 736. 
Berkeley, Lord, 194. 224, 244 268, 292. 
Bescher, '1 homas, 89. 

Hells, ilichard, 227, delegate to the Hempstead Con- 
inn Inn. 

Binckes, Admiral. 267, 262. 

Bicklcv, Attornel -General, 474. 

liillou, Pierre. 206. 

Blackwell, Governor (of Pennsylvania), 339 

Blackwell, Robert, 273. 

Blaokwell's Island, 273. origin of name. 

Blake, Dr. William, 607. 

Bleeeker. Alderman, 361, 362. 

Bleei Iter, Nicholas, 612. 

ptain Adriacn,33, 34, 38, 41, 42. 



Bio 



,190. 



lllnmmaert, Samuel. 49, 60,62. 

Bogardus, Dominie Everardus, 71, arrival of, 74. 

Ilogan, John Jr , 673, alderman. 

Bollan, William, 595 

Boone, Francis, 273, counselor. 

Boscawen, Admiral, 647. 

Boudinot, Elias, 444 

Bout Jan, Evertsen, 114, 137, 145, 226. 

Kowiie, ,lM.i;i||, 3X6,. 

Bowne, John, 227, delegate to Hempstead Convention 
in 1665. 

Bradil.uk, General Edward, 647, 652. 

Bradford, William. 323. established printing-press in 
Philadelphia, 411, trial of. and removal to Now York, 
412, 413, lir-t issue fi.-ni first printing-press in Now 
Y.,rk, 522. first newspaper, 548, opposition to Zen- 
ker, 51,2. 572, 634. death of. 

Bradley, Attorney-General, 552, 553, 554. 

Rradstreet. Simon, 149. 

Brasher, 386. 
Bredenbent, William. 206 
Breedon, Ex-Governor. 221. 

Dr John, 46(1, counselor, 471, chief justice, 

death of, &o. 
Brockholls, Anthony (Lieutenant-Governor), 267, 279, 

298, 299, : 323, counselor, 325, 328. S40, 699, 

granddaughter of. 671, protests of. 

Brodet, D inie, 122 

lin.illiead, Daniel, 268,220. 

Brodbead. John Romeyn.208,220. 
Brook, Lord, 76. 

Bi ke, Chidley, 3S4, counselor, 388,411, ambassador 

to Boston. 
Broughton, Mtorhey-General, 445,453, arrival of, 454. 
Brpwer, Jan Jansen, 54 

l'-i mu r >. ■ Brmu . i aptain.344, family of, 350. 



607. 



Buchanan. Hi .,s, 74". family of. 

Bnel, Rev Sal il, D D , 696. 

H -v, I M,-,-, :;27, judge. 

Bull, Captain, 366 

Burke, E nd, 699. 735. 

Burnabj . o, , Mr I 35. 
Humes, Sergeant, 5sl 
Burnes Tavern, 725, 757. 



Burnet, Bishop, 511. 

Burnet, William (governor of New York), 510, 511 
arrival of, personal appearance of, i.c.,612, portrait 
and earl) history of. 513, family of, 516, resident e 

of, 517, 52(1. 521. 524. 526, removal of, lo tin wan 

lit of New England 

Burr, Rev. Aaron, 519, 596, 635, romance and mar- 
riage of, 642. 

Burr, Aaron I Vice-President), 519, 605. 

Burt, .Samuel, 422 (note:. 

Kurt, ,ii, Captain, 274. 

Burton, Mary, 581,583,584 

Bute, Earl of, 693, 694. 698, 705. 
Bjerly, Thomas, 475, collector of customs. 
Bylet (Van), Helegouda, 61. 
Byvelt, Peter, 54. 



Cabot, John, 15, 16. 

Cabot, Sebastian, 15, 16, 21. 

Calvert, Charles (son of Lord Baltimore), 201, visits 

America 
Campbell, Dominie, 544. 
Can-, Captain John ,.222, 223, 257, 258. 
Carr, Sir Robert, 208, commissioner, 213, 214, 222, 229, 

Carteret, Philip. 224, 225, arrival of, as governor of 
New Jersey, 244, 256, deposed, 26s. reappointed, .91, 
arrest and trial of, by Andres. 292. release, 294, 299, 
death of. 

Carteret, Sir George, 22S, 225, wife of, 244, 267, 208 
294, 299 

Carteret, James (son of Sir George), 256. 

Cartwright, Sir George, 208, commissioner, 21", 213, 
2211. 222, 223. 229, 23", 235, 237. 

Cathcart, Lord, 70". 

Cbai ,rs, Judge John, 552, 553, 554, 006, wife of, 023, 

638,640, ' 17 665, (-91,697. 

Chamber-. Tl .a-. 1-9,206,207,221. 

Chan 0, 1-, ('; 1 I. ,111 I I 

Chamber ol Commerce, 739, foundation of, 740, charter 
of, 741. 

Champlain, IS. 93. ' 

Chancellor, Richard, 21. 

Chapels, 421, in the fort, 632, St George's, 633, Mo- 
ravian, 645, 742, 749, St. Paul's, 749, 750. 

Chapman, Robert, 310. 

Charles 1,50, accession of, 65. 142, execution of. 

Charles II . 192. accession of, 198, marriage of. 194, 

r (me of ring, 195,214. disgraceful war 

21". the Triple alliance, 253/204, Dutch alliance, 
200, tieati „t, 2S". reception of Prince of lira, e 
2M.29".298,3"7,312, sudden illness of, 313, dcalli 
of. 432. 

Charles, Rolert, 711. 

Choiseul (prime minister of Frnin el 693. 69", 699. 

Churches, 71, first church in New York, 105, 106, 
Dutch church in the tort, 1"7, picture, 137,141,174, 
first church at Flatbush, 175, 178, the Lutherans, 
179, 1M, the Quaker persecution ill New York 185 
190, tir-' church in Bromklvn, 191, 199, 210, Si. 
Mark's. 219. 22". t'n-i Episcopal service in Nev, York, 
249, .1- ■ ' 1, - 11 251 26 263, the Lutheran church, 
284, 285, .-- - -id. a, difficulties, 289, the Brsl 
Classis in N.-w York, 292. : i 1 805 Dutch church 
in Sleepy Hollow, and l-'i. I . i. v. rship in church In 
fort, 809, 329, pictuie of first French church Si'i 

400, the Garden Street Dutch CI I, buill 101, 

467, picture. 422, Trinity Church built, 436, -137, 438, 
the clergi .41". Dii-.-li church charter, 462, Jan ail a 
church quarrel, ITS, (89, 5Q4, 505, 518, Brsl Presby- 
terian church built, 521, French church difficulties , 
523, Middle Dutch Church built, 521, picture ol I ell, 
559, Church and State, 572, Trnil'i .: I I. 680 

586, 602, SI John's Church in Yonkers, 685 New- 
ark church, 687, Trinity, 703, the English language 
introduced into the Dutch churches, 704, BrstGer* 
man Reformed church. 719, the Lyme tlm-iii past. a, 

749. Church ami State, Trinity, Ale , 750. Nnrlh 
Dutch, 751, Middle Dutch, Wall j Street I'rosbv teri.iu, 
and Brick Church, 752. Scotch 1'resbvteria'n, 753. 
Baptist. Methodist, Moravian, 754, Quaker, French, 
Lutheran. German Reformed, Jews. 
City Hall, 105, first one huilt, 106, picture of, 158, 



INDEX. 



school opened in one room of, 160, 162 174, 106,21(1, 
211, 27a, 2'.i:i. .' ..'..',, :;-.',. im, sit,- presented i.,i „,.« 
city ball, 443, uew edifice erected, 4,'.:;. e\.-iting 
scenes in, 469, debtors' prison added, 488, first clock 
of, 532. librarj 10,584, fire-engines in, 

Citj Hotel, 757. 

I'l irkr. ., . irv of New York, family of, 

&i 526, 5 I. governing Sew Yoi 65 . 

s'ln..-,. ! -r | ...i, .17. m,., 3-7 ''Mimii..-]i,iii.l lieu- 

tonae . v.. . ". '■ -. ',,-■ 37.7 07s, 579,581, bouse 

i.uMu-il, 7,-4. .',-",, ."on, .',- , .i, i.t u ,,f rule. 

Cliirke, Mrs George, 500 587, descripdon of, 5S0, 

.lr I'll m|", 5S1, eliaracter of. 
George, 73 I. 
Clark.-, Thomas, 213, 343, 388, coroner, 397, alderman, 

422 (note). 
Clarkson, David, 608, 614, 620, 623,(25, 632. 
C'l:irk-iMi, Miiili.iv, :-l,i>, family of, 3S5, secretary of 

103 139 
i'I.i!.- in Kei I' nil, 370. 

ClintOn, W i '' '-<■ (I'liVrriHT), ",7*. 7.'-'.' inn., 

,,, 59 . ■> 600, LI 

Philip-.- manor, t.ii'7, HuS, Ol.i, till. i',12, oil. HI... .■.,„- 
flict with lie Laucey,616, 618,619, wife of, 620,621, 

623,624,02'. i'.'Ji' 32'' ''.3'i..'.31.i,;2,'135,030.i'.37.',7,l 

Clinton, lieorg.-, .47.73.. wiiere resided alter Revolu- 
tion. 

Clinton, De Witt, 750, wife of, 760. 
- ..in (pirate), 47:3. 

i'm., .l..hn, 227, <teleM.it..- to 11 pstead Convention in 

1 ; ;.". 

ert,202. 

i oke, -ir John, 65. 

Colden, Dr. Cadwallader, 4.15, .".14, sketch of, 515, 
faniih -.!, .VJl.MMai-in ,n. .f ...lit, ..I '. 
i.l.-iii ..I , .-it. il,', - >s, i;ln, on, among Mohawks, 
1,12, - -, -:i r,614, iticised, 616, character of, 619, 
624 1 ...... _. i,.ia!, r,12, writer of history, 

«--. I,. ,t. ...v, i-ii,.i- ..f n.-.i \ "i-k ii'.m, .;i'l,r.'.'2, 

.','.'' 7'. 7 ,3 712, p-rn-ait of, 713, writings of. 714, 
1 ;. . - 71'. 722. 72 . 72". ... - imp V-t ri..t, 72\ 
729, .a, 7i". .41, founded . hamber of Commerce. 

Coleman, John, 29 killed by Indians. 

i'mIi,-.-, Km.- ii'olumbia), 642, 043, 644,645, corner- 
s' lal I. 69 i, 741 

, ',,11, -mm, I'l-ini-etMti, 7-",l . 7-",2 

Coluinlnis, 12, l.irth ..f, 11, discoveries 

,1 in. Vi.tM-mv , 2.",-, 2:','.., , .an. ler of New 

York. 2i)0, appearance of, 2iJ3, coach of, 269, de- 
parture of. 

Communipauw, 02. 

C..n-talitltiO|.!.-, 13, fall of 

Cooper, J. K.-noiin 

• ...per. Rev. Mi..--. M 

.orulniry, Lord, 451, 4.7,0, 459. arrival of at governor, 
4. In. eiiararicr of, 461, reception of, 463, religious 
controversy of, 4.'.3, 401, t '.."., 407, 4 IS, 471, 472, 473, 
474, 475, 477, superseded by Lovelace, and impris- 
oned for debt. 

Cornbury, Lady, 4''.I, family of, 473, death of. 

1 oruelissen, .Ian, 11 1 , oneued a school. 

fornliill, Ki.-. ml. 227 

Cnrssen, Arendl 12 3 

.'"i-ti-h.,.,. .1;,. .pi.-, M'.i, 111-'., 204, 227. 2SS, b,„i f 

Cosby, Governor Willi .111, 7.3i, 53S. arrival of, 7, 4, 7,(1, 
542, 7.13. Ait-- and daughter of, .311. 7,47, 7,1-. 7,,-, 
, . 1 1 ,.', .,- . ,, 1, ,;:17 

Cosby, Major llex&nder (lieutenant-governor of An- 



' Cruger, Nichol is, 517. 
Curtius, Dr., 190 
Cuyler, Bareul it. Oder* 
Cuyler, Cornelius, 612, 
Cuyler, 11 

Cuj ler, Lieutenant ll.i 
Cuyler, Philip, .,-3 



I. M, .1 Ml 

Hank. 1,, 

Darkins, Robert, 3,7 . 
li' Eau, KTem n ■ - t, 

He Bruyn Ik Ci 

3.71, 3 

!>,- Decker, John, 221. 
Ho Hart, Simon, 2-7 
D,- Hinoyssa, Governoi 



i'. li"-. 3 .| 828, preaching of 
.■11, 106, II- 



tarn, 344, family of, 349, 3"j0, 



1-7 



111 



id.- 



.l.-iugnter of, 7.22, matters "t Church and Stale, 731. 
7.32, ,l,si ,11,1 ants of, 7,34, 7,*n, mansion of, 656, .-Id 
Of, 758. 

De Lancey, James [ Lieutenant -ik, v. n , 1:13,520 

selor, 5311, 7.32. f.iinih "I iption of. 

ppi.iiit.-.l 



ellief jilstii-e. 7.13, a,n..M,-,p 


1 MM-l -,-, 


7,71. 7,7.3, 7,3- .',,,3, 7 .-, 


.',- , i.,,i -,mii of, 585, 


OnS, lllo, ill',, ,-h ,, 


1 . ' 17 in. 




1. .... lieutena 




,17 ,.17 Ml-, ,',11., .2.1, 


652,653,654 i.--' 


- 


0-7, ,i,.i_ if ■-!..--. leal 


-,--:..! Ml, OS--, 



De l.i 



ver, 7,32, family of. .123. HIH 
,12. al.lerinm, 'oil, H7s, as.scml.l, man, ..-2. , uiiii- 

try-seat of, 688, 73 1, iselor, 756 

II,- l.aii.-.M. I'- - 3 - 7 -". 711,7511. 

He Lance. ii.-iit, nant-governor), 73S, 

assemblyman, 712, 743, 717, 
De Lancey, John Peter, 7,32, family of, '1*8, where 

educated 
IX- Lancey, Thomas .lames, 532, family ol 
De Lancev, Pet. , -ir , 7.11 
DeLancev, William Heathcote (Bishop). 532, family 

624,688 
De 1,111, ,x. l.i.i ,,-,i 1-' 
I',- Lane 



He Ma 

1.,-isler. 



-1- .14. 


yi 1.532. 

alii .-',32 

alderman, 37, , :.p| ,-int,-l ,-,,1 

',s, one of ('.„ ill 1 Saf.-tv 

,.-,-.. .171, -- -in,-. 
,, from --- 

73 - , 1 .Mm,. 21:;. counselor, 


-1.-. . 


.2 13'!. . - 

ti.in l.i Bell out, 437, at Eng- 

43s, 43m 

le of Committee of Safely under 



Cox, Willi 



, 213, 225, 245. 



Nicholas, 277, major in 1.170, veil- 

,1.11111. 



i'.',-_-i,-,-, Minn, . 13., 1.11,100, 167, r.'il, 20iJ,204, 207,255. 

11, Oliver, 102. 
Crooke, John, k-2 

Crilud.dl. Ul.-rii..i,i I'll, hums, '-147, .37-1 7,-1 

, i'ii:,-i .lolin, 7,17. iiMiv-.i- 

Cruger, John 2 mavnr, 

1,-1.,. ,;;s. 3-.:. 711, 722. 724, 72- 
679, president of t'l,aiii!„-r ,,f Coiuliiei'i'-. 743 

Crug.-r, Henry, (son of the elder John), 517, 614, 620, 
623,636,654,660, 661, 583, 742, 7-: 

Cruger, Henri -.,11 of Henry above), M. P., 517. 

Cruger, John Harris, 51'. 



Dm Move 

II.- Milt. Antl 

Denny, Willit 

Denton, Daniel. 211',, 229. delegate to II.-nipst.-ad Con- 
vention in 1665, 220, justici , 21-, -1. cribes No- 
York. 

Denton, Richard, 358, 
d.-r Leialer. 

li.- Peyster, .loha lines, 22"., s,-he|>en, descent of, silver- 
ware, &c., '220, 260, advisor to Dutch admirals, 

burgomaster, ,S:c., 274, signed p. -till. .11, Oil. SOU Of, 



of Commit tee of Safety 1 



3.77 



»idOW of. 



I', 1 t.-r. Abraham (son of dohaim- 
314, liii-in. -- .-I 31- 31.1, .-..n.i-r.i.-d 111 Revolution, 
72, brother Ml 



INDEX. 



mayor, chararter of, &C..399, portrait of, 400, acts 
of, 4nl, wife of, 4u2, 404, welcomes governor, 405, 

411, auiba-sador I" Boston, 412,418,419, house of, 
420, descendants of, coat of arms, tic, 434, coun- 
selor, 442, 44.;, donated site of City Hall, 446, wife 
of, 448, 449, president "f council and acting gov- 
ernor, 450, acting chief justice, 451, auditing com- 
mittee, 4f)7, associate judge, 4C.li, suspended from 
council, 473, treasurer of New York,4s3, counselor, 
198,606, map of part, of property, 517, retired from 
pul. lie hie, 524, gift of church bell. 

I).. Peyster, Abraham, Jr. (son of Abraham), 420, 
family of, 517, treasurer of New York in place of 
lather of, 50.8, 582, 598, daughter of, I'. IS. 1127, char- 
acter of, ,Vc , 028, picture of house of, 728. 

I)e Peyster, Colonel Arent, 420, 421. 
,r, Cornells, 372. 



IK- Pi 



Johaunes, Jr., 399, 427, mayor, welcomed 

Lord Ilellooiont. 
lie Peyster, James (eldest son of Abraham, Jr.), 628.; 
De Peyster, John (Albany), 612 (note), 
lie Peyster, Pierre, 073, alderman, 
lie Peyster, Hon. Frederic. 420, family of. 
lie Peyster, Major-General John Watts, 420. 
lie RicinerlMavor , 453. 
DeRuyter (Dutch naval commander), 232, 233, 234,1 

235, 236, 254, 255. 
Dervall, John, 001, widow of. 

Dervall, William, 261, estate confiscated, 27", alder- 
man, 274,299 

Desbrosses, Ellas, 739, family of, 760, where resided, 

l>,. Sille. linn Nicasius, 166, arrival of, 100, family of, 
107, house of, 170, 182, lawsuit of, 191, 204, 207, 
213. 

He Vries, Captain David Peterson, 02, 07,08,09,70, 75, 

Itlid with West lnilla C paliv.70 S8, 91, visits 

Hartford, 92, 99, HU, 109, 112, 114. 

lie Vries, Peter Uudolphus, 6I.U, widow of, 

. Witt, John, 102, 193, 195, 232, 235, 236, 237, 240, 



E. 

East India Companv, 22, origin of, 25. 31, 46, 4T. 
Ebbing, Jeroninius, 2011, f.unilv of, s.r 
Edwards, Rev. Jonathan, 51S, 519, career of, 596, 635. 
daughter of. 

Eilsall, Samuel, 35S, , of Committee of Safety under 

Leislcr, 371. counselor, 3S2, :>-, 3-9 

Eelkins, Jacob, 09, 70. 

Effingham, Lord (governor of Virginia), 310, vi-it- 
New York aud Albany, 320, as-ists in cxpcioc- ot 
war. 519. 

Elbertsen, Elbert, 206, 227, delegate to Hempstead 
Convention in 1065. 

Elizabeth, Queen, 32. 

Elliot, Andrew, Lieutenant-Governor, 760, residence 
of. 

Embury, Rev. Philip, 753. 

Kniott, James, 388, 422 (note). 

England, 15, 20,21,32, colonies of, 50, death of Jainc- 
I.. 131,108, peace with Holland. 191, 214, conquers 
New York, 232, 233, war, 230, miseries of, 237, 246, 
peace, 253, 280, Constitution of, violated, 306, in a 
political convulsion, 333, Revolution in, .334, 307, 
491, the debt of, 492, 493, the State Department of, 
059, declares war against Prance . 0S2, 09S, 715, 710. 
717, 719, 730, 732, 733, 735, 737, 743, 748, 701, 701, 
70S. 

Epersteyn, Captain. 263. 

Evans, Captain, 430, estate under condemnation. 

Evertsen, Admiral, 257, 25S, captures New York, 259. 
262. 

Evertsen, Michel, 90, clerk of customs. 

Evertsen, John, 227. 

Everts, James, 422 (note). 



254, 



. 192 



t, Johannes, 226, assessed to provide for Eug 
lisll soldiers. 

Dieskau, Baron, 047, 652, wounded and defeated, 660. 

Iiigirs, sir Dudley, 31, defrayed expenses of Hudson's 
expedition. 

Dirckseu, Barent, 114. 

Dircksen, Cornells, 86. 

Dircksen, Gerritt, 99 

Discovery, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, 
29, 30," 31. 

Dnng-in, Governor Thomas, 298, family of, 299, arrival 
of,300, description, of, 302, interview with Pennsyl- 
vania delegates, 3"7. Connecticut ,|iiarrels, 310, Indian 
conference, 310, opinion of old New York residents, 
317, grants city charter, 327, 347, 378. 

Dongan, Thomas. 495, fought duel. 

Dow, Garret, 397, alderman. 

Downing, Sir George, 194, 195 (note), 232 233. 

Dordrecht, National Synod of. 44. 

Doughty, Charles, 741. 

lioiiL'hiv, Ellas, 227, delegate to Hempstead Convention 
In 16 . 

Doughty, Rev. Francis, 104, 115, 124 

Duane, Anthony, 701 (note) 

Duane, Hon James, 701, character of, and family of, 
728, 709, hou-e of, 705, 760, 707, 708. 

Duane, James C . 701, family of. 

Iiu Bols, Dr. Isaac! 

Du Bois, Rev, Mr., 440. 

Dudley. Joseph 3D',, j, resident of Ma*s.-u-husetts, (note), 
family of. &e , 323, chief justice of New Yolk, 382, 

384, counselor, 3SS, 389, pronounced sent, n t 

death upon Leisler, 390, description of, 390, in 
Ouracoa, 413, in England, 422, 425, 441, 493, gov- 
ernor of Massachusetts. 

Duncan, Thomas, 582. 

Dunmore. Earl of (governor of New York"), 7.55. 

Duvckinck, Evert, 220, assessed to provide f,,r English 
soldiers 

liver. Collector (mayor), 295, litigation, 290. 297. 

tlrissius Dominie, 15s, ISO, marriage of, 181, 184,220, 
249, 400, 

'• Drissius Mother," 181, 190. 



Fabbicos, Rot. Jacobus, 250. 

Farret, 93, claimed Long Island. 

Farwell, George, 324, attorney -general. 

Fauconier, Mr., 476. 

Feake, Robert, 92. 

Fenn, Hon. Benjamin. 199. 

Fenwick, John, 207, 292, 293. 

Fenwick, Colonel George, 92, Lady Alice, wife of. 

Ferry to Long Island, 86, 171. 

Fever and ague in New York, 244. 

Fire Company (First), 183. 

Fire-Engines. 531 

Fisher, Dr. Archibald, 607. 

Fitzroy, Lord Augustus (son of Duke of ti 
marriage of, 

Fitch, Captain, 354, 355, visits New York to advise ii 
government affairs. 

Fitch, Governor (of Connecticut), 653, 717. 

Fletcher, Governor Benjamin, 403, 404, arrival of, 49,' 
description of,-406, 407, 409, 410, speech of, 411, i 
Pennsylvania, 412, accused of official stealin 
conflict with Assembly, 415, speech of, 410, el 
tions, 418, 421, 423, accused of piracy, 427. 42S. 
perseded, 429, trial aud defence of, 438, 439. acqi: 
ted, li::. 445,472: 

Forbes, General, 017. 

Fordham, Robert. 117. * 

Fort Amsterdam built, 54. 55, 70, 77. 107. 

F,,rt Casimir, 175. 

Fort Esopus, 189 

Fort, first, on Manhattan Island. 42- 

Fort Nassau, 42, 43, 49, replaced by Fort Orange, 1' 
153, 154. 

Fort Nassau on Delaware, 49. 



0,543, 



in 



r Mr 



Franklin, Dr. Benjamin, 641, 040, 047, 666, 667, 60s. 

post-office routes. 609, 705, 700, daughter of. 
Franklin, Governor William. 000, 067, 705, governor , f 

New Jersey, 706. 
Franklin, Samuel, 683 
Franklin, Walter, lis,;, 700, where resided 
France, 17, 29. 235 245, rapid growth of, 240, 253, 205, 

2SD 327, New 30,1,369, dcsiirn upon New York, 37s, 

::95, arts of king of, 409, 458, 491, 049, war with. 

057,059,098, peace with England. 



INDEX. 



777 



adv 



i 1 of France 17, sent Vc 
aturc, 18. 



voya 



Frazius, Dominie Iternhardus, 284. 
Frederick Kr» o, 54. 

Freedoms and exemptions, 59, scheme of charter, t 
Freeman, Thomas, 544, marriage ot, to daughte 

Govern oi I 
French, Philip, 336, 372, in prison, 373, 418 at I 

\U\\ riHirt, 43>. Speaker of House, 443, 411. 156 
159 outlawed, 404, 405, assemblyman ami ma 
59 i (iescendanl - ol 602 

Fresh Water Pond, 50, murder near, 190. 

Fioutenac, Count, 3 19, 370, 405. 417,432. 



G. 

C vii. iv, TiMo.ni ;:rs, 225, Burgomaster. 

Cage, General, 721, 730, 734. 

(iardiner, David, 238, title to Isle of Wight 

<- irdlner, David (4th Lor.li, 57", coat of arms of. 

(iardiner, David (Orli Lord) 59J, marriage of. 

«; irdiner, John (3d Lord), 570, family of. 

Gardiner, Lion, 93, purchase of, 57". descendants of. 

li Lrdiner's Island, 93, purchase of, 238, 202. 442, treas- 
ure buried on, 570. 

>. imo, Vasco da, 16. 

John, 753, of First Baptist Church. 

<;<■.. .rr.iplnral knowledge, 37. prior to discovery of the 
American Contineut. 

Gi-rc. Christopher, 375. 

tM'Mi-.je 1 , 49s, proclaimed king of England, 521, death 
of, 572 g 

11 , 524, ;k. inn ..f, 0'j:j death of. 

i li , 693, a 
756, 764 

Gerritsen, Martin, 07, member of Council. 

Gerritsen, Wblfert, 79 

liihhs, Thomas, 250. meinl<er of Commission, 258. 

<iirard, Allen, 500, surveyor-general. 

Godyn Samuel, 49. director of the Amsterdam Cham- 
ber, 60, 62 

Glen, Captain Alexander, 377, chief magistrate of 
Schenectady, 

Goelet, Peter B-, 740, marriage of 

Goelet, Robert K., 74", marriage of. 

Goetwater, Rev. Ernest as, 178, sent to New Amster- 



of, 705, 715,735,737, 739 



i Nathan, 223, member of committee, 300, 353 
■ ■. I 
Gomes, Estavan, 19, 20 

■■ 
Gordon, Or John 

llouvermiir Abraham. 358, appointed cleik of com- 
mittee 3.U.3SJ.407. 413, at English Court, 418, 440, 
marriage of, and chosen speaker of Assembly, 442, 
149, 150 451. 4"»3. eity recorder. 

(iouverneur, Isaac, 0<> 

luverneur, Nicholas, 683 

Graham, lion. James, 283, arrival of, 301, 
recorder of New York, 315. attorney-general, :-;]■; 
manager of king's revenue, 325, counselor, 332, 339, 
384,389; speaker of Assembly, and description of, 

.;.<!. 092, 43'.. characteristic, of. 43j, 439, 44", muu- 



Hamel, Sendrick, 49, director of the Amsterdam Chi 
Hamilton, Andrew, 55", 551, portrait of, 552-553, 

guinent at the trial of y^ngcr. 557, triinupii -l 

Hamilton, Governor John, 421, 461, 



Hampton, Rev. John, 473. 474. 

Hansen, Mr .475. 

Hardenbrook, Margaret, 601, marriage of. 

Hardy, Sir ) h.irl.- ' irovernor ,, 1 14", 045,651, artiyu 01 

Harmensei Eb oerl 54, member of Advisory Count il 

Ilarri.Min, I-'imu. ,-, 1". , •.ainincr in chancery, 526, 

'■ i-''."i- .'■!-. (',17 daughter of. 

Hartford, 91, 101, 102. 

Hit..:. Mat t bias, 227. delegate to convention 

.'J5S, une of Committee of Safely under Leister. 
Harvey, Sir John (governor), 68, entertained De Vrica 
Hawks, John, 012. 
Hawson, Henry, 599, married Eliza Livingston 

Havens, John, 5"7, family of 

ll.n . Dr Dai ■ 

Heathcote, Caleb, 408, family of, 409, marriage of, 415. 

eouiiM-ii.r. 422, I . '■ ■ initiation. 

451. in.iiiMr-lioii-r of, 40n,4^3, 495, mayor of city, 

51 1. 0i, uli of, 531. portrait of 
Heermans, Augustin, 137. representative. 152, lined. 

165, sketched map. 179, 220, property a 
He.Tinaii-. Kphraim. 2 V 9. j.-ine 1 Lai a.lists. 

■!', >o3, alderman 
Hesse, Jacob Hanson, 67, counselor to Van T wilier. 
ilett, Rene, 5S2, jur\ man in negro trial of 1741. 
Heweot, Dr. William, 607. 

Hicks, Captain Ja-per, :.>s ,,f the frigate Archangel. 

Hicks. John, 227. delegate to Hempstead Convention, 

0V5, 22'.'. ;iii|.iiinred justice. 
Hicks, Thoin.o-. 297 
Hicks, Whitehead, 74". son of, 760, mayor and real- 

ilruee of, 703, family of. 
Hilton, Mr., 582. 

Hinckley, Covernor. 341, reinstated iu power. 
Hodgson, Robert, 1*4 Quaker preacher. 
Hoffman, Martin, 51*9, wife of. 
Hogg, Robert, 581 

Hniiaendare, Peter, 100, governor of Swedish colony. 
Holburn, Admiral, 669. 
Holland, Edward, 609, counselor, 633, mayor. 
Holland, 23 27 8, I I capital of, 43, 48, .; ■ 

era tic spirit of. 12". Id. 132, description of, and 

i„ ople of 133 165, 168 peace with England declared, 

204, 214, 215,235. 
i , (rge] 76 
Holmes, William, 75, land surveyor. 



II In 



\ hi 



al, 0Si|. 



eelor, 412, 443. 445, 44'".. death of, 576 
Graham, Augustine, 445 (son* of above), 454, 500, 506 Howe, Lord 

death of 
Greenwich, 101. 

:., Stephanus. 012, Commissioner of Indian 

Affairs. 
tiiniin-, II ugh, 45, imprisonment of. 
Guillamus, William, 208, delegate to the Landtdag 



Holt, John, 720, the printer (New York Gazette and 

Post Roy ). 
Hood, Stamp-master, 721, 731 

Hopkins, Stephen, till ■ i--;--_-i f «■ to Congress of 1754. 

Horsemanden, Hon Haniel, 501. counselor. 57., city- 
recorder, and description of. 57^, 5 v., 010, judge, 019. 
624,030. t;05, 071. 713, chief Justin ,. 

iloi-cniiii, First, 55, description of. 

Hospital, New York, 701, foundation of. 

io> -en Commander, 67, murder of. 

Ilow.len, Michael, 422, warden of Trinity Church. 



• Lake George 
mtion of 1665. 
. 202, 227, delegate 

79, 107, 



H. 

HaCKIXSACK, 96, origin of name 

II igue, The, 4", description of 

Haines, John, 356, chosen commissioner, 384, coun 

,-elor. 
Hake, Lord Samuel. 420, daughter of 
ll-ilifix, Lord, 307. 563, 030, 030, «3S. 091, 705, 731. 
Ilall, Ralph, 238 

Hall, Thomas 70. 7*. 114. oneof the " Eight Men, 137 
thi Mine M< n, 139, 147, 162,farm of, 1M 



ter 



i, William, 422 warden of Trinitv Church. 

,-nrv . 2''i, famih of, 27. vnv:igo» of, 2S din 

of, 29, on the North River, 30, 31, eharac- 

! Ilulft, Peter Evertsen, 49, director of the West India 
1 Company. 

Hungerfonl, Sir lieorge, 431 son of. 445. 
I Hunter, Blia* I>,-.0p,-m-s, 003, wife of 
II, infer, tiovenmr Rob.-rt.4Sl. earlv life of. ' 
lor the OiTIilill,- 
einOarra-mcnl-oI", 1^, 0-9, 193. 491. 495. I , 
liMoii with AtM-mblv. 497, 49S, 499. 500, wife of. 5"2. 
Ladv Hunter. 5'i0, death of I.elv Huntei 
■ hil Inn of, 5(19, departure of, 510, in England, 513. 



778 



INDEX. 



Hunting, Rev. Nathaniel, 596, pastor of East Hainp- 

toD Church, L. I. 
Ilutchings, Captain, 456, alderman, 457, trial of, 461, 

-nii.iii.- of dm tli reversed b\ IJueen Anne. 
Hutchinson, Mrs. Anna, 104, 171, estate of. 
Hutchinson, Chief Justice (governor uf Massachusetts), 

717,720,721. 



Icelanders, 12, literary legacies of. 

Indians, American, IS, origin of the name Iroquois, 
29, 30, 33, 36, description of, 37, dress of, 38, public 
affairs of, 43, treaty of. 63, 91, 93, jealous, 01, 05. 
97, war against Dutch, 98, lol, treatv, 107, lOtf, 
year of blood, 110, 111, massacre of, 112, 113, 114, 
116, 118, dark winter, 119, treaty, 122, permanent 
peace, 176, 177. attacked city, 186, 187, treaty, is:*. 
attacked Esopus, 200, massacre at Ksopus, 201, war, 
275, 276, 278, 310, 311, 325. 326, 346, 3 52, 364, 372, 
376, 377, destruction of Schenectady, 378, 37'.', 380, 
381,405,406, 409,414,417,432, 478, '479, entertained 
by Schuyler, 480, chiefs at Court of England, 404, 517, 
conference of 1721,518,523,525, conference of 1728, 
526, 531, 5S5, 586, sachems' dream, 588, 591, 502, 
0H0, 610, 611. Coldeu among Mohawks, 612, 620, 621, 
621, 640, 641, 047, war, M*. 650, 660, 664, 665, 
trouble about lands, 670,074. 070, i;77, 670, 0S0, con- 
ference at Detroit, 1761, 690, 602, 702, threats of, 703, 
Johnson Hall fortified, 708, treaty, 744. 

Ingersoll, Jared ( Stamp-master ), 716, in gallery of 
House of Commons, 720, 721, captured and escorted 
to Hartford. 

Ingolsbv, Major Richard (lieutenant-governor), 383, 
384, arrival of, 385, 386, 38K, 396, commander-in- 
chief, 403, 445, in Englaud, 471, return to New 
York, 478, acting governor. 

Inians, John, 369, alderman. 

Innis.Rev. Mr., 353, 354. 

Inuis, Mr., (of Philadelphia), 668, 669, messenger to 
Lord Lowden. 

[zzard, Ralph, 757, married Alice De Lancey. 



Jackson, Robert, 227, delegate to Convention, 1665- 

Jacques, Father, 109, suffering among the French. 

James 1., 32, colonizing Virginia, 50, death of, 64, 
patents of. 

James II-, as Duke of York, 208, received grant of 
New York, 219, managing his new territory, 224, 
dismembered New York, 233 commander, of Eng- 
lish fleet against the Dutch, 250, religion of, 253, 
265, marriage of, 266, 267, title to New York ques- 
tioned, 276, opinion of assemblies, 281, daughter of, 
married to William of Orange, 282, sent to Scot- 
land, 293, 298, thinks of selling New York, 302, gives 
New Y'ork the franchise, 307, in privy council of 
Charles II , 313, proclaimed king of England, 314, 
slave of France, 315, inconsistencies of, 316, 317, 
granted charter to New York City , 318, 321, inspired 
New Y'ork with terror, 322. assisted the Huguenots, 
327, consolidated New Y'ork with New England, 328, 
efforts to change the religion of the kingdom, 330, 
alarm at the acquittal of the bishops, 334, deserted 
by his courtiers, 835, abdicates his throne, 336, a 
fugitive in France. 

James III. ( the Pretender ), 590, 591. 

James, Rev. Thomas, 244, translated Bible for Indians, 
596, pastor of church at East Hampton, L. I. 

James, Major, 722, commander of artillery, 723, 727, 
furniture and gardens destroyed by rioters. 

Jamison, David, 422, warden in Trinity Church, 434, 
444, accused by Rellomont, 500, chief justice of New 
Jersey, 521. 

Janeway, William. 422 warden of Trinity church. 

Jans, Roelof (or Jansen), 79, farm of. 

Jans, Anetje, widow of Roelof, 79, 85, married Dominie 
Bogardus, 86, 106, 2(>7, daughter of, 220, daughter of, 
253, sale of property of. 

Jansen, Hendrick, 98, one of "Twelve Men," 371, 
counselor of Lefcler. 

Jansen, Michael, 137. 



Jansen, Jans, 125. 

Jauncey, James, 738, assemblyman, 743, re-elected, 
756, counselor. 

Jay, Augustus, 697, arrival and settlement in America, 
family of, &c. 

Jay, Dr. (Sir) James, 696, agent for Kings College in 
England. 

Jay. Hon. John, 696. family of, 697, in college, 741, 
758, marriage of, 765, one of Committee of Fift\ -one, 
766, delegate to first Continental Congress, 768, de- 
parture for Philadelphia, 

Jay, Peter, 602, family of, 606 (note), 696, 697, where 
educated. 

Jennings, Samuel, 475, speaker of New Jersey As- 
sembly. 

Jessop, Edward, 227, delegate to Hempstead Conven- 
tion, 1665. 

Jochemsen, David, 20*3, delegate to the Landtdag, 1*364 

Johnson, Dr. John, 500, mayor of citv and counselor. 

Johnson, Thomas, 888, judge in admiralty, 390. 

Johnson, Garret, 310, keeper of powder-magazine. 

Johnson, Johannes, 361 returned as sheriff. 

Johuson, Simon, 607, jus, i< e of peace. 

Johnson, Joris, 673, alderman. 

Johnson, Rev. Dr. Samuel, 507, marriage of, 633, first 
president of Kings (Columbia) College, 643, 645, 696. 

Johnson, Rev Stephen, pastor of church, Lyme, Con- 
necticut, 719, author of first printed revolutionary 
article. 

Johnson, Samuel William, 507. 

Johnson, Sir Guy, 689, secretary and nephew of Sir 
William. 

Johnson, Sir John, 6S0, son of Sir William, 756, wife of. 

Johnson, Sir William, 586, arrival of, 587, character 
of, 588, dream of, 610, in council at Albany, 611, 
influence of with Indians, 614. bead of, Indian affairs, 
621, Indian council at Johnson Hall, 629, 636, coun- 
selor, 640, 648, in New York City, 649. Indian council 
at Johnson Hall, 650, speech of, 652, wounded in 
battle, 653, ovations in the city, 60n, »Y4, 665, 609. 
670, 674, defending Mohawk valley, 676, 679, 680, 
visits Detroit, 690, council scenes, 702, 703, Johnson 
Hall fortified, 730, 742, 744, 760, visited by Governor 
Tryon, 701, militia reviewed. 

Jones, David, 568, assemblyman, 592, speaker of 
House, 623, 627, 628, 636, 658, correspondence of, 
663, 691. 

Jones, Dr. Thomas, 750, wife of, 761. 

Jones, Richard, 671- 

Jorasseu, Hendrick, 227, delegate to Convention, 1665. 

Joris, Captain Adrian, 49, in charge of colony, 52. 



Kalm, Professor, 633, gossip of. 

Kay, Jacob Teunisseu, 249, deacon of Dutch Church. 

Kearny, Philip, 502, family of, 700, family of, 756. 

Keith, Sir William (governor of Pennsylvania), 519, 520 

Kemmena, Dr. E. B., 607. 

Kennedy, Hon. Archibald, 536, counselor, 561, 655, 
671, estate of, 692, retires from Council. 

Kennedy, Captain Archibald (11th Karl of Cassilis), 055, 
mention of. 656, 671, first wife of, 756, second wife 
of. 

Kern, Rev. Johan Michael, 704, arrival of, 705 

Ketchum, John, 227, delegate to Convention, 1665. 

Ketteltas, Abraham, 582, 701, daughter of, 759, the wife 
of James Beekman. 

Keyser, Adriaeu, 127, commissary. 

Kidd, Captain, 424, employed as a privateer, 425, de- 
scription of, 433, sailing under the black flag, 442, 
arrest, trial, and execution, 570, treasure buried by. 

Kieft, Governor Wilhelm, 80, took oath of office, 82, 
arrival of, and description of, 82, proceedings of, 
84, laws of, 85. 86, improving the town, 88, 89, 
securing laud, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97, follies of, 98, in- 
augurated the first, popular meeting in New York, 
100, 101, rejected council, 106, founded a church, 
107, 109, censured, 11*1, 111, assassination of Indians, 
112, bloody war, 113, 118, 119, 120, civil anarchy, 
121, recall of, 122, peace with the Indians, 125, 126, 
I2S, his successor welcomed, 135, 136, 137, fate of. 

Kiersted. Dr. Hans, 83, 90, 122, 138. 207, second wifeof, 
acts as Indian interpreter, 226, property assessed. 



INDEX. 



77;» 



Kiersted, Dr. Roe] of, 607. 

Kiersted, Lucas, 137, grandson of first of the Dame. 

King, Peter. 3'.<7. alderman. 

Kip, Hendrick. 137. sketch of t.irnil) ■arms, &c, LG6, 
marriage of, 181, where resided. 

Kip.Ju.nl.. 13-, 159, || llUw of, and marriage of, L60, 
225, sehepen, 220, property a.-s. — ed, T,\. ' 

Kip, Johannes, 343, alderman, 397, 409, assembly- 
man, 435- 

Kirke, Colonel, 308, governor of Massachusetts. 

Kissam, Daniel, 711, ossein hh man. 

Knight, Madam Saraii, 454, travels of. 

Knox, Rev John, 752, descendant of 

Kay ter, Joachim Pietersen, 89, arrival of. 92, ship of, 
106, 114. one of the ■• Bight Men," 135, 136. trial and 
banishment of, 137, sentence reversed in Holland. 



Ubasists, 286, 287, 288, 289. 

Ltl'orie, Rev. James, 468, first pastor of First French 
Church. 

l,i Chair. Solomon, 196, early lawyer 

Uidne, Rev Dr. Archibald. 7U3. 7<4, 750, 751. 

Lamb, General John, 726. 745, 763. 

Lunbertseu, George, 99, New Haven merchant, 102. 

I.a Montague. Dr. Johannes, 83, description of, 90, 
daughter of, 11", 112, counselor, 117. 122, 134, 158, 
school, 159, daughter married Jacob Kip, 
L66, 200,221, 746, descendant of. 

l.impo, Jan, 54. first sh.niT. 55,64. 

Lane, Henry, 561, counselor. 

l.it >uche, Jeremiah, 582, juryman in negro trial. 

Lawrence, John, 203, 'ommis&ioner to Connecticut, 
I, alderman, 231, family of. •!■'•". 261, mavor, 
27'. 274, 343, 344, daughter of, 358, 3S7, mayor, 
b of, 388,433, counselor. 

Lawrence, John L., 699, married Catherine Livingston. 

Lawrence, Lieutenant-Governor (of Nova Scotia). 649, 
»>>3. 

I, iwrence, William, 358, one of Leisler's Committee of 
. 371, counselor, 387, 446- 

Leete, Samuel. 283, city clerk. 

U-isier, Jacob, l;>\ marriage of, 226, property assessed, 
23-, jurvman, 240, church elder, 251, relic 'of famiU , 
19, 313, city surveyor, 344, 
militia captain, 315, description of, family of, 346, 
wine-merchant, 347, 319, house of. 3-30, command- 
ing fort, 351, 352, 353, 354,355, 356, arrogance of, 
357, 35- . 8, 371, 372, arbitrary pro- 

ceedings, 373,378,379, 380, 3*2, correspondence of. 
383, marriage of daughter, 3>4, disappointment of, 
385. obstinacy, 386, 387, imprisonment of, 3^, trial 
of, 389, sentence of death pronounced upon. 3'.* ' ■"■'1 . 
239, death-warrant of, signed, 303, execution of,304, 

resulting c"U-e<iuenee-, 4"'>7, appeals of funily of, 
403, widow of, 440, honorable burial of remains of, 
. i ras to family of. 

Leisler, Jacob, Jr., 394, 'in England, 407, efforts to re- 
move stain from father's memory , 413, secured resti- 
tution of blood as well as estate, 418, 425, 429, 442, 
452. 

Library New York Society, 532, foundation of, 647, 
first trustees of. 

Lispenard, Anthony, 723, Huguenot ancestry of family, 
and descendants of 

Lispenard, Leonard, 673. alderman, 678, assemblyman, 
riant, 711. 723. funily of, 766, 767. 

Livingston, Robert, 275, ancestor of family in America, 
description of and ancestry of, 276, manners 
Secretary of Indian Affairs, 318, bought manor p-op 
erty, 319, manor-house of, 320, children of, 357, 
entertains Colonel Bivard, 361. secretary of Albany 
Convention, 362, 375. t Leisler, 

suggests Convention, 393, 394, at the Court of Eng- 
land, 395, portrait of, 413. description of coat of 
arms, 416, 418, at the Court of England. 419, con- 
flict with Fletcher, 424. introduces Captain Kidd to 
William III.. 434, reinstated En office, and mad- 
or by 8ellomont,430, e-tiv no i.r condemna- 
tion, 445, 448, 149, conflict among the counselors, 
45" abused of fraud, 451. 152 ordered to account, 
455, vilified and threatened. 459. entire estate con- 
ri-cated, and n moval from all offices, 463, estates re- 



stored (1703'). reinstated in all former appoint menu 
and honors i 17"5), 4-t, sold portion of mai i 
erty, 4 1 >V about iminor-lioUM Of, I 
Cie ag.' .■: I.- ol governors at New Lon- 

don, 5<>9, 51o, -i.i'.)i. ■ ! I ., , 

Liwii -tni,. riu.ip i Ideal ■ ■ :■. descrip- 

tion of, 3211, marring- of, 4*h, 515, Mi.e.e.ls father 
etarv of Indian affairs, 526, at Indian Con- 
■ 
princely establishments of, and children of. 590 (note), 
■ ■-'■-. widow of, ,i.2. double about laud pat- 
ents, 723 

Livingston, Robert(son of Robert above), 319, manor- 
house of, 320, property of, at Clermont, 598, chil- 
dren of 

1 D, Gilbert (son of the first Robert above), 

320, married Cornelia Beekman, estate neai 
toga. 

Livingston, Robert R., (judge I Robert), 

698, married Margaret !'..■« . nddymau, 

71 11 , ehildren of, 711, chairman of Revolutionary 
Committee of Correspondenee, 714. 723. member of 
Stamp let Congress, (26, opinion of Stamp Act, 728, 
729,743. Governor Moore's description of, 757, city 
residence of. 

Livingston, Robert R. [chancellor, son of third Robert 
above), 598, 646, education of, 710, 7ti3, city re- 
corder. 

Livingston. Jr., Robert [nephew of first Robert), 416, 
married Margarvtta S. bin ler, children of, 599, agent 
among Indians 50s, granddaughter of 

Livingston, Robert (eldest son of Philip, and third Lord 
of Manors, .Y*S 636. manor property disturbed by 
riots, 648, a-vsembiv man, 004, property troubles, 
758. city residence of. 

Living-ton, Robert Cambridge (son of Robert, third 
Lord oi Manoi . , I upon divi-led es- 

■ iry residence of, in 1775. 

I :■■■ r-.n, Jr., Robert Gilbert. 7-V\ roddence of. 

Livingston, Peter Van Rrugh i son of Philip, second 
Lord of Manor), 503, marriage of, 598, education of. 
649, agent fc 



Buppli, 



659, 7 1 3, 758, citj 

re-Mem e . i. ,<..,,»,, , .join viams's description of. 

I wn of PI 1 L-rdof Manor), 

599 ■ : i .i a of , 673 dderman, 67\ assembly- 
man, .11. 723, member nf 8 1 imp-Act Congre-. 7 ;- 

713. :.".". diuglirer married Rev. Dr. Livingston, 

residence of, L75, 758, city residence of, 766, dele- 
gate to the Brat Continental Congress, 768, departure 
for Philadelphia. 
Livingston, John (son of Philip, second Lord of Manor), 
I, education of, 768, city residence of, wife of, 



&c. 



Jersey, - 



of 



,..■!, ■ ■ marriage of, 
643, rhai i ter -t. 644, 

,. great political fend. 
;- •> Library, 648, as- 

751 . 758, built Liberty 

. 320, 75 i education 
h Dutch Church. 

Ol King- I ■■ 



Livingston, William ( govern r 
Philip, second Lord of M 
f99, lav* student with ..hum 
•"•42. trustee of Kings Colli 
writings of, 645, leader ol 
647. trustee of N 
semblyman, *>'V>, '7-. ■ .'", 7 
Hall in Elizabeth, N. •■• .1. ; ■ 

Livingston, Rev. Dr. John il 

of, marriage of, pastor <>f N 

Livingston, James, 642, trust 
assemblyman 

Livingston. Henry. 50*. education of. 599, business of, 
67 >. assemblyman, 711. 

Lockyer, Captain, 763 t t. ;, -hip, 764. 

Lodwyck, Charles. 344, one ol the m\ captains, 347. 
sent with Leisler to return petition, 349, demanded 
keys of fort, 351 desired Colonel Bayard to assume 
command, 370, wife of, 444. joined merchants in peri 
tion. 

Loockermans, Go Vert. 137, one of the " Nine Men,' 1 138, 
marriage ami family of, 117. partnership in busi- 
ness, 152, persecuted and fined. 1m;. acting as in 

terpreter for Indians, 204, sen! to New Jersey, 207, 

251, chatelaine worn by Mrs, G*>vert I ckennans, 

423, title of, to Hanover Square, 606, water of 

Loudoun, Earl of, 659, appointment of (note), 660, self- 
conceit of. »>d, vi-it- northern forts, t'.CJ, arrogance 
and pmfauitv of. ► >;», ■■>,'. i .a< ■:• . ,.f. 67", f')73. 

Louis XIV , 235, 245. character of, 246, 253, m ■■ rer 
treaty negotiated with Charli I, 254, 264, at war with 
half of Europe, 280, fomenting jealousies, 290, re- 



7 SO 



INDEX. 



(-orti* to intrigue,. "(3, compels Protestants to emigrate 
from France, :J14. 321, persecution of the Protestants, 
330, kindness to James II., 369, orders French Hu- 
guenots to Frauce, (note). 

Lovelace, Colonel Francis, 241, appointed governor ot 
New York, description and antecedents of, A, , 'J42, 
343, '244, desins to obtain a printing-press, 24b, 
(o-openites with merchants and builds avc-'i, -j-r.t, 
horse-racing, 252, purchase of Staten Island from 
In. Hans, 253, purchase of Auetje Jans" farm, 25t». 
asking tor a " Benevolence, " 257, establishing post 
route I" Uoston. 2*51. estate confiscated, 262, fate 
of, 273, estate added to Duke'fl farm. 

Lovelace, Dudley , 243 i ounselor. 

Lovelace, Th< mas, 243 couuselor, 252, justice, 256, 
commissioner, 257, 258, sent to make terms, 311, 
sheriff ol States [aland 

Low, Isaac, 739, founding Chamber of Commerce, 
(note), family of, 740, 758, residence of, T»'- r >, chair- 
man of Committee of Fitt\-oiie. ,of,. delegate to tir-t 
Continental Congress, 767, 768, chairman of Com- 
mittee of Sixty. 

Lubbertsen. Frederick, 99, representative, 227, dele- 
gate to Hempstead Convention, 1665. 

Lubbertsen, Jans, I'm, taught public school. 

Ludlow, l>:miel, 757. re-iilence of. 

Ludlow, (iabnel. 422. warden of Trinity Church (1695). 



McKe 



0, lU'V 



473, 474, i 



'ated and tried, 



741. 



Lupoid, Ulrich,83, 84, sheriff, 90. 

Lurting, Robert, 422, warden of Trinity Church (1665), 

500, counselor. 
Lmck, Itoininie Aegidius, 190, private tutor to Gov- 
ernor Stity vesant, 22b, property assessed, 249, asso- 
ciate clergyman. 260, burgomaster. 



M. 

M.uDt.N Lane, 402,495. 

Manhattan, Island of. 35, condition at time of dis- 
covery, description of, 36, inhabitants, 49, first settle- 
ment, 50, 53, purchase of site from Indians, 59, re- 
served to West India Company, 66, 67. 

Manning, Captain .lohn, 221, left in command of fort, 
243, city sheriff, 256, member of commission, 257, 
captain of fort, 258, surrendered to Dutch, 272. re- 
turned to New York, 257, settled on island in East 
River (BlackwelCs). 

Market House, 139, 580. 

Marston, Nathaniel, 422. warden in Trinity Church 

Marshall, .John, 607, justice of the peace 

Martenee, Roeloffe, 227, delegate to Convention (1665) 

Mason, Rev. Dr. John. 752, first pastor of Scotch 
Presbvterian Church (1761). 

Mather," Dr Increase, sketch of, family of, 339,340, 352. 
:; 18, 394 

Mather, Rev. Cotton, 341, reads Declaration to people 
ot Boe full, 338. 

Maurice, Count John, 119. 

Maverick, Samuel, 195, appeared before king, 2"8, 
commissioner to settle boundaries, &c, 222. 220, 
laboring with ' refractory '" Massachusetts, 230, 242, 
wrote to Lord Arlington, 244, wrote to the Duke, 
247. 

May, Captain Cornelius Jacohson, 33. commanding 
" Tiger " 45, returns to America, 49, director-general 
of New Netherland (1624). 

Mayhcw, Thomas, 239, patent issued to, for Nantucket 
and Martin s \ in. -yard 

McAdam, William, 739, 740, one of committee of mer- 
chants. 

McCurdy, John, 719, of Lyme, Connecticut, " Friendly 
to Liberty." 

MeCurdv, Charles .Johnson, 719 (note). 

McCurdy, Robert H , 719 (note). 

McDougall, Alexander, 744, opposed to importation of 
goods, 747, arrested, sketch of, (note) 765, commit- 
tee to draft letter to Boston, 766, 767, opposition to 
ticket -d Fifty-ore 

McKvers, Charles, 740, one of the founders of Chamber 

McEvers, James, 722, stamp master at New York, 727, 

781 
Hi Even John, 682, juryman (1741). 



MeL'apolensis, Rev Johannes, 108, arrival of, 124, first 
instructor of Indians. 141, a^ks dismissal, 146, re- 
mains at Manhattan, 158,174, superintends erection 
Of church, 176, on the Delaware, 184,213. ppie 
sents province at the capitulation of New York, 220, 
24S, death of. 

Melius Dominie, 190, pastor at New Amstel, (note). 

Uelyn, Cornelius, 90, arrival in America, 96, return* I 
with grant for Staten Island, 114, one of the " Eight 
Men," 130, 135, arrest and trial of, 137. sentence 
reversed, and restored to former honors, 149, 152. 

Merritt, John, 397, alderman, 5S2, jun man. 

Merritt, William, 343, member of council, 358, pent 
by mayor to Leisler, 397, alderman, 432, warden of 
Trinity Church (1697). 

Meteren, Emanuel Van, 25, 27, historian. 

Michaelius, Jonas, 56, acting as teacher. 

Middletoo, Thomas, 2..H. owning Shelter Island. 

Milborne, Jacob, 285, 360, return from Holland, 3(3, 
at Albany, demands admission to fort, 364. appears 
before convention, 371, secretary to province, 378, 
3-o. made commander of expedition to Canada, 3H2. 
sent to subdue the "refractory,"' 383, wife of, 384, 
sent to inspect Ingolsby's documents, 387. 388, re- 
fusal to plead, 389, condemnation of, 393, execution 
of, 394, son of (note), 425. 429, estates restored to 
family, 440, marriage of widow and reinterment of 



Miller, Elder, 753. 

Miller, Rev. John, 429, (Episcrpal clergyman), 421. 

author of map of New Yoik City. 
Millington, Rev. John, 532, donated hooks to New 

York City. 
Milnor. Rev. Mr., 633. in pulpit of St George's Chapel 
Minvielle, Oahriel, ^70, alderman, 301, 344, militia 

captain, 349, 350, 351,353, retired from revohillnm.rN 

pari | , 884, counselor, 403, 433, 444. 

(governor), 52, appointment of, 53, 



rk, 54, description of, 55, 
urns to Holland, 89. 
88, 99, death of. 



692, arrival of, 



purchasing site of Ne 
residence of, 57,60,63, 64 
commander of Swedish coli 

Molenaer, Abram. 99 n | re» 

Mompesson, Roger (chief J 
and character 
of. 

Monckton, Major- General (govern 
693, 701,703, 714,715. 

Monsay, Mr., 431, searcher of customs. 

Montcalm Marquis de, 600, commander of Canada, 669, 
670, 671, 675, 676, generalship, 680, 682, death of. 

Montgomery, Colonel John (governor), 525, character 
ot .VJ\ 529, speech of, 530, f. 33. granted charter to 
New York Citv, 536, death of. 545. sale of effects of. 

M K, Lady Deborah, 114,115, 113, 172, entertained 

governor and Mrs. Stuyvesant, 177, house attacked 
by Indians. 

Mood) , Sir Henry, 123, 172, 177, 1S3. 

Moody, Rev, Mr , 594, army chaplain. 

Moore, Dr. Alexander, 607. 

Moore, Benjamin, 741. 

Moore, Captain Samuel. 384. 

Moore, Sir Ilcnrv governor). 728,735, arrival of, 731, 
attended jnbilee, 736, 739, 742, 743, 744. death of. 

\],.,n . i.ipt.-iin Richard, 256, founder of Morrisania, 
family of, 470 death of, and death of widow of. 

Morris, Colonel Lewis (brother of above), 256, 354, 
house of, 372, 470. 

Morris, Lewis, ( governor of New Jersey ), 226, birth of, 
469 description of, 470, early life and character ol, 
471 474 assemblyman, 475, 487, autograph of, 4SS, 
489,' 49K,' 499, chief justice and portrait of, 507, 510, 
family anus of, 514, 538, 539, 541, opinion of, 542, 
removal from office, 543, 544. equipage of, 545, 546, 
at. English Court, 5-47, 548, 556. daughter of, 561, 
563 returned from England, 564. enthusiastic wel- 
come by the city, 566, 576, 577, 578, 608, death of, 
and funeral of. ^ 

•J Morris, Lewis, Jr (son of Governor Morris), 514, 
counselor, 536, 539, 548, 56,8. speaker ot house. 575. 
description of, 576, children of. 590, 009, 614, judge, 
620, 623, son of. 

Moms, Robert Hunter (governor of Pennsylvania I, 
546, at English Court, 631, chief justice of Kcv» 



INDEX. 



7S1 



Jersey, 032, at English Court. (546, interview with 
Krankliu, 14, , 31 - :,„.J ,.,„, , nor,-hi|., 

B86, 706, death .1! 

Morris Staats Long (son .if Lewis Morris, Jr.), 576, 
family of, ... 3 .f t ,, Curt of England. 

Morris, Richard (son ol Lewi, Morris, Jr.), 676, 'lint 
justice of New York. 

Morris, Hon. Lewis, or (son of Lewis Morris, Jr.), 676, 
signerof Declaration of Independence 

Morris, II. hi. (ii.iiviru.nl- sum of Lewis Morris, Jr.), 
57b'. family of, 741. education of, and early char- 
acter of 

Morris Colonel Roger, 604, marriage of, 606, mansion 

"I. bub. o, initio .-tat,- o|. Toll, counselor, 756. 

Mott, Adnm, 206, delegate. 

Mi. in. i i:,v u, it, . '. 2, family of. 

Minn..... IV:, r .l:n . Li :;, fiuiilv of 
Murphy, Hon Henry C., 17, writings of, 289. 
Murray, Joseph, 599, counselor. bbS. pall-bearer (o 
Governor Morris, 636, wife of, 240, delegate to con- 
gress of 1754. 

Murray, Lord John, 674. 
Murr.n. K..I..TI, 573. :.74. (78.3, business of. 
Mu-cov\ Company, 21, foundation of, 26, voyages of, 
31, employment of Henry Hudson. 



N 

"i\ti.v, Jons I lieutenant-governor ). 427, arrival of, 
i. "to .. 445, at Barbadoes, 4)s, 450, 451, 4:",2, 456, 158, 
4 E3, arrested, 464, imprisoned foi i and a half 3 s 

'. lVl..;,tlon. 12, 13, illl|iUl-c itivell to, 14. 15, 16, 17, 19, 
27,28, 29,3ii, of Hu.l-on K.vir. 55, 432. acts of trade, 
454, 707,acts of enforced, 708, 724 

Nei .lii .in, Robert, 208, officer under Nicolls, 222, coun- 
selor. 223- 

Negro, The, 95, 158, 494, 495, 581, 582, 583, 584, 645. 

Newfound la ii. I , h-lien I . .'...nil I. !, 

New Haven, 91, foundation of, 99, removals from, 

101, concerting measures tor defence of. 

New Nctlierlan.l, 41, first use of the term, 42, territory 
comprised, 13, 43, neglecl of, 49, income of, 50, 51, 
.■(.Ionization of, 55. |.r,.s|icritv of. ,50, cond 
62, feudal estates of. 55, li.'i, decline of, 66, 71, im- 
provements of, 73, 7b, disturbances within, 77, fort 
and windmill of, so. >1 . s;;. s4. ss. mismanagement 
of, 89, 90. !H. 102, population of, 103, 104,105, ar- 
rival-, I'ii;, first tavern of, ln7, new church of, 111, 
112, desolation of, 116, 120, wars of, 123, mineral 
resources of, 136, 13,, first representative tin. I\ of. 
138, 139, 14ii, 147, 14\ 149, Ii'iO, 15K, l.v.i, birth ol 
the lapitol of, 164, 165, 179. calamitv. 177. 19'., 
title ,.f. 199, .le-cii|..i..n .... 2l»l, In.Ii.ii horror- of. 
21'.;. laadtilag of. 2ns, 213. surrender of, 219, 232, 
23 .. 25s, 2'il.extei.i "f. 2b . 2'.' 

New Rochelle, 104, 381, foundation of, 454,723. Daven- 
port Neck in. 

Newspaper.-. .v<- . 522, fir-' 515, 5 I s , -con I, 549, 557, 

634, 731 728 729 745, 762. 
Newtown, 115 . .i .- . - . f, 123 
New York, 11, 18,53 |- tase of the site of, 116, 159 ; 

incorporation ..f <it\ of, I'l, 214. named, 21s, des- 
tiny of. 219, iuiji'.i'ii ' .■' 2.2 21 I. 2:7 condition 
of, 247, prosperitj of,246 1' il d - lescription of, 

25", Sabbath, 2.55. 255, -,,.1,.,-in... ol. 25s, surren- 
ders to Dutch, 2.11.2.5, 293. re-tore.! to English. 
283, climate of, 2-1, 302, hr-t assembly of, 303, 
division into counties, 394, 30S, city divided into 
wards, 315, 517, charter granted, 321, alarm of, 321, 
coveting Connecticut, 328, humiliation of, 331, SB, 
341, how affected by English revolution of lbs'.*, 
312, character of, 34b, excitement of, 349, .350,321, 
i nil in, 355. commotion, 359, under military 
rule. 358, 359. 372, 379, disturbances, 3S8, -■ iv. rn- 

ment of, 394,395, critical conditi 

patents, 405, a new era, 411, afflictions ol 
improvements of, 453. piracy, 426, 132 . - 
433, bone of contention. 139. Ian I grants attacked, 
4 11, odious law-. 44s. 449, conflict for power, 452, 
.ity elections of. 454. Madam Knight's description of. 
41525. 463, 4(17, mercantile impetus, 4-1, 489, growth 
of. 491, income of, 491, self-sufficiency of, 494, 495, 
population of, 501, what its history illustrati 
social attractions of, 59b, boundary lines of, 525,632, 



library of, 54 1. 515. 55S, troublous . 

ties of, 

ot . ... .. traveler's notion i 

.3,1 i 1 1 T tail point • 

eal interest, 633, si/..- of, 634, commercial aspect, 

.-;.",, people .a . 640, - gresa .3 1764, 646 

n. lie hauls ,,r, (JHII, 

313, 709, independence of, 710, trials ..t. 711. spirit 
of ri-si-iai" .-. , 12, 711. the bench and the bai 

interest. 723. Stamp let Comrress, 724, rage ol the 

I pie. 727 - ■ 1 v t t, 728, t ring scenes, 729, 

730, 731. 7. _' - ger, 736, fresh disturbati 1 -, 

Parliament, 739, 711 

, 15. a, ti, 1 Hie men ban 

genu of bank legislation, 
Hill," 717, liberty-no . 71 



Uy with Boston, 
G 



of. 



the 



1, ;. _Mti -, 7 is, famous revolutionary committees 

1 .. 1 i Gov. in..., 523. 328, 

I of intrigue, 7111. letter I" New England, 

.; ,- 10 Plantation c mittee, 347, purposes 

.1,349. hampered by tonus and cu-t.i 

355, |ia--ag.- In England ...... 

with king 17s . ]. < I. 1 i ouimander of army, 
in command, 494, recalled. 

Nicolls, Matthias, 2'IS. commissioned officer, 220 seen 
tare of province, 215. counselor. 255 minor. 2b2, 
27 ', 271 2. '7 3 '2, Brsl speakerof New Yor 

\i. ." u ''., ' 1 b ■zi, '"' ' '■ I. 384, 

,, 1 ,-, . , -7 .1-1 388 - r 103, 417, 

sent to 17, :■_■., ad .,- UD u: for N. -. \ rl 

il, 165, speaker 



cused "I complicity with p 

of House. 4 '.s. 473. drifted 1 

predictions, 5n7 - no '■) fni'i 
Nicolls, n.-iijiiinii ...11 "l H 1,1 

,.f, 642 tpi-ii. ,3 Kings Co 
New! , - - .. ■ 1 
Nicolls, William ion of Willi mi , ;, 5 n. t< 1, family 

,.f. character of, ... 8, . b o speaker, 1 1759). 

Ni' oils, Colotn-l Kii.iit-l. 2"-. appointed governor. 210. 
led surrender, 211. terms offend, 212. prompt 

decision and promises, 213 211. surrendel 

and occupation ot same. 219 sVeteh of family, 222. 

proceeds I. ] 1, , 1 a ,,, I'. 1 . , 225 dl-en-se- Connecticut 

patent, 22b, autocratic law iiokn. 237. presides 
over 1 1. -ill [.-fe ad C..|iviiiti,ai , 13b", .3_'_'s, 229. prom,, e- 
all laudable enterprise-, 23,7, in p-iuiuar. discour 
ageni.-nt. 25- 259, 2|o proposes to depart for Bng- 
land, 242. regrets at bis departure, 2 15 escorted 
to vessel, 245. at Whitehall, 255. killed in naval 
engagement with Dutch (16711 
Ni.olls, Richard, 522. postma.-ter 1 16931, 5 1. coroner. 

Noble, John, 753. elder in Presbyterian Church 1 73 3 
S.-il, I'll. .mas, l.yj. major, 1.3, strife over the city 

election. 
Non-Importation Asm. .iii.iit 72'. -ijlied by New Yolk 
merchant-. 72b. frigned I', li-.-asi and Philadelphia, 
759, 751, 732, 733 7 5 73s. ;:»i. 713 ell.-ct.s of, upon 
savage New York, 711 ■■' n.-.-.-ioiis, 754. action ot 

New York, 755. 7. I. 7-2 5 _7j.i\ 765, Ne» York 
regulating 11. > -iii.j, - . :. , . , 7, 7».s 

\... 1 :■ I aptaili, 55b. .5' r I, wile of 

North. Lord, 761. 

Norwalk , 92. foundation of 

Norwi .-I. 11..,.-.. 2..-. 

oll- 

Notleman, Conrad 3| appoint.-.! sheriff, 7b 



isioned officer uuder Ni. 



1 n\, ln7. built church in New Yorl 
719 (note), founded Elizabrthtown. 
.12 1 "ii. .1.1,12.- David, 642 (note), 706 (note!, 721 
Ogden, 111. hard, 1", 

llgilbv, John. 24S king's lo-mographer. 
Oglethorpe, General 3a), 583- 



782 



INDEX. 



Olfersfen, .Jacob, 113. 

O'Neal, Hugh, 117, married widow of Van der Donck. 

Opdyck, (iysbert, in I, . Mimin>.-,irv, HI, retried office 

196. 



iiaiiiiuiii, .j", in--.il. i ui, iinu reieience in 
Henry, 131, death of Frederick Henry, and 
of William II., 156, death of William 11,157, Wil- 
liam [II., 264, youth of, 280, at HnglMi Court, 281, 
marriage of, 330, invited to the throne of England, 
331, description of, and portrait of, 332, domestic 
relations of, crusade against popery, 334, reception 
of, in England 335, assumed the government, 33*1, 
crowned. 

Osborne, Sir Danvera (governor), 636, arrival of, 638, 
banged himself. 

Otis,, lames, 691, resigned office, 710, boldness of, 717, 
718, American Congress proposed by. 



Palmer, John, 303, one of the first judges appointed, 
326, went to London, 339, member of Audros's 
Council. 

Paris, Ferdinand John, 507 (note), 563 

Parker, James, 625, government printer, 626, 747, 
death of 

Parker, James, 706 (note), family of. 

Patrick, Captain Daniel, 92, I'll, swore allegiance. 

Paulusen, Michael, 67, commissary of Pauw's colony. 

PauWj Michael, 40, director in West India Company, 
62, purchased Staten Island, Hoboken, &c., 115. 

Pavonia, 02 

)Vat tie.-, William. 468, mayor (1703), 4*>9, description 
of, 471, counselor. 

Pell, Alfred S, 701, wife of, (note). 

Pell, Thomas, 171, bought land in Westchester, 257, 
381. 

Penn, William, 292, 293, father of, 295, charter of 
Pennsylvania granted, 298, drew up government and 
laws for same, 209, obtained conveyance of East New 
Jersey, 30l, in Albany trying to secure .Susquehanna 
Valley, 302, reply of Dongan,3l6, Mason and Dixon's 
line, 317, sketch of, and influence of, 411, territory 
of Pennsylvania and its government his own prop- 
erty. 

Perret, Dominie, 3S2 

Perry, John, 325, first mail-carrier betweeu Boston 
and New York, 359, 373, arrested. 

Pepperell, Sir William, 594, description of, 595, cre- 
ated a baronet, 652. 

Philip II. (of Spain), 22. 

Philipse, Frederick (first lord), 226 (note), assessed to 
provide for English soldiery, 270, antecedents of 
family, 271, wife of. 271. j>ersonal sketch of, 283, 
vessel of bis wife, 207, 298, 300, counselor under 
Dongan, 305, built Castle Philipse, also church at 
Sleepy Hollow, 323, counselor under Andros, 328, 
342; character of, 341,350, efforts to check revolu- 
tion, 353, one of the deputies intrusted with govern- 
ment, 371, strife for king's letter, 433, retired from 
Council, 433, 439, estate under condemnation, 465, 
death of, 467, will of, 599, great-granddaughter of 

Philipse, Adolphe (son of Frederick above), 434,439, 

1 estate under condemnation, 467, 471, counselor, 483, 
property of , 496, niasir- mi chancery, 509, character 

i of, 514, removed from Council by Burnet, 522, 

' speaker of Assembly, 541, judge, 550, 573. contested 
election, 574, chosen speaker, 575, farm in Putnam 
County, 582, 605, estate of. 

Philipse, Eve, 42(» (note), family of, 467- 

Philipse, Philip (sou of Frederick, above), 467, 602 
(note), wife of. 

Philipse, Frederick (son of Philip, second lord), 467, 
568, assemblyman, 600. manor-house of, 601 (n tte), 
602, character of. familv of, 092 (note), 603, daugh- 
ter of, 614, 620, 623, 

Philipse, Frederick (third lord), 608, description of, and 
wife of, 711, 1 5*. residence of in 1774 

Philipse, Marv, Utll. portrait of, 604, style of, and mar- 
riage of, 605, 606, 678. meets Washington. 
I'hipps, Cons, j ne, 413. Massachusetts airent. 

I'liipps, Sir William, 338, character of, 352, 368,381, 



naval force commanded by, 407, made governor, 408, 
411,412,425, death of. 

l'ier.-on, Colonel, 499. assemblyman, 412. 

Pierson, David, 620, assemblyman. 

I'n i' i.-en, Abraham, 114, one of the " Eight Men.' 1 

Pietersen, Evert, 181, teacher in public school. 

Pie terpen, John, 99, member of first representative 
body. 

Pinchon, John, 213, commissioner, 343 

Pinhorne, William, 283. arrival of, 309, alderman, 
315, speaker of Assembly, 378, 384, reappointed by 
king, 387, recorder, 8S8, 390, judge, 403, 431, dis 
approved of proceedings, 445. 

Pintard, John, 504, alderman (1738). 

Pintard, Lewis, 731. 

Piracy, 423, commerce almost destroyed bv, 424, at- 
tempts to suppress, 432, its relation to the acts of 
trade, 433, a bone of contention in the Council 

Pitkin, William, 276, ambassador from Connecticut, 
300, commissioner, 370, delegate, 594, sister of, (note) 
641, lieutenant-governor. 

Pitt, William (Kan of Chatham), 677,670, 687,688, 093, 
694, 715, 733, 734, 735, marble statue erected in 
honor of (note). 

Planck, Abraham, 99, member of first representative 

body. 
Plantius, Peter, 27, pastor of Dutch Reformed Church 

in Amsterdam. 

Plowman, collector of port, 353, 355, removed. 

Poihemus, David, 175. 

Polhemus, Dominie Johannes Theodorus, 175, arrival 
of, 249. 

Polhemus, John, 176 

Pontiac, 702, king of Ottawa Confederacy, 703. 

Poor 11-iuse, 559, established. 

Pope of Rome, 16, bull issued by. 

Portuguese, 16, progress of, and exploits of. 

Pos, Simon Dircksen, 54. 

Pownall, Thomas, 638, secretary to £tr Dan vers Os- 
borne. 

Pratt. Benjamin, 750, marriage of. 

Prince, Thomas, 14y. 

Printing, 12, new epoch in art of, 244, liberty of, in 
New York. 

Privateering, 683 

Provoost, David, 503 (note), mayor 

Provoost, Samuel, 603 (note), widow of. 



Quakers, 184, 199, 292, 317, 464, 754. 
Quick, Mr ,581. 

Quimby, John, 227. delegate to Hempstead Conven- 
tion (1665). 

It. 
Raleigh, Walter, 506. 

Randolph, Postmaster, 325. 

Rapaelje, Oeorge, 99, member of first representative 

body. 
Rapaelje, Jans Joris, 56 
Rapaelje, Sarah (daughter of Jans Joris), first girl born 

in New Netherland. 
Rasiers, Isaac, Dr.. 54, arrival of. 55, secretary, 57, 5S 
Keade, Joseph, 582. juryman, 027, 092. counselor, 725, 

730, 756, death of 
Reade, Lawrence, 422 (note), warden of Trinity Church 

(1696). 
Reade, Charles, 706, counselor. 
Reed, John, 504, marriage of. 
Reimer, Alderman, 556. 
Reiniers", Qrietje, 86. 
Rensselaerswick, 61, estate of Van Rensselaer, 02, 79, 

rapidly improving (li"<37), 118, 140, an independent 

power, 153, 155, 239. 
Rice, Rev. Owen, 753, Moravian clergyman. 
Richard, James, 223- 

Richard, Paul, 343 (note), 559, mavor, 620, assembly- 
man, 686, 654, 660 (note). 

Kir-hard-on, Richard Paulus,220, assessed to provide for 
English soldiers. 229, planted vineyard on Long 
Island, 343 (note), family of, 856, counselor. 

Ricketts, Mary Walton, 006, (note), married Stephen 
Van Cortlandt 



I XI) EX. 



7s:; 



Ki_",*-'. .luhn, 3oS, hearer of despatches from the king, 

3(0 37] 
Roberts, Colonel, 616, cornet of horse. 
Kobci tson, Governor, 685. 
Robinson, Colonel Beverley, 603, family of, 604, estate 

of (note), children of, 078, entertains Washington, 

729 
Robinson, Thomas, 726. 
Rockingham, English statesman, 73.1, 737. 
Rnclaudsen, Adam. 72, tirst schoolmaster, 123. 
Roelofsen, Boele, 249 church elder. 
RoJgers, Rev. Mr John, 751, 752. 
Rodman, John, 443. 
lWlofst*, Tennis, :;>, one of Committee of Safety under 

Leisler. 
Koesen, Jans Hendricksen, 91. 
Rogers, Dr., 401. 
Rombouts, Francis, 180 (note), 256, commissioner, 334. 

Romeyn, Sim.ni .lamen, 22 i, property assessed. 

Roome, Willi. an. o 17 jua ice of the peace. 

Roosevelt, I -(.<■■ 72 > - i.-mian. 
Rosevelt, Jac. bus " A i ■!■ rman. 

K'^'-liill estate ( -<■<<■ land i. .Vil ( ni'tr i 

II xi, Rev. Louis, 521 

Rudyard, TbomaSj299-301 (note), daughter married. 

Russel, Admiral, 330, invitation of, to Prince of Orange. 

KusM'l, Lord Ceorge, 2s5. 

Rusm-1, Lord William, 306, executed 

Rutgers, Anthony, 582, juryman, 032, marriage of 

daughter to Rev, Henry IJarelav, 723 (note), family 

of. 
Ku gers, Mr , 636, house of. 

R ifli.-rf..r.l. .luhn, 599, counselor, 610, 653, 676. 

Rutherford, Walter, 503, marriage of. 



Sabehth, 9.'., 134, 220, 241), English customs in regard 
to the, 250, 209, 309. the question of the, 1388. 

S l I i s h i.i r\ , S\ he.-tcr, 20S, commissioned officer. 

8 tls tons tall, Governor (of Connecticut), 493, 570 (note), 
daughter of 

S inrrnti, An-hhishnp, 32!*, refused to oViev the king. 

Santen, Lucas, 301, collector of revenue, 315. 

Say. Lord, 76, 102, 104. 

■i-., 1 0,274, resists Andros. 
Rev (lideon, 150, installed. 190 (note), 249, 
2 i 305,361. 

Schenectady, 376, 377, destruction of. 

Sehermerhorn, Simon, 377. 

Schools. 72, 123, 124, 158, 181, 100, 231, 232. 

Schult, Simon, 90, surgeon sent from Holland 

Sehuvler, Hon. Peter (first ina\ or of Alhanv}, 153, fam- 
ily arms of, 154. house of. 257, 258, sister of, 305, 318, 
Albany incorporated, 320. 3"i7. portrait of, 301, presi- 
dent of Convention, 302, 3 >3. 37.'.. 37s, 379, 395, ;;n7, 
405, diplomatic character of, 406, 438, 430. estate 
under condemnation, 445, counselor, 449, 45> >, . ■< .n- 
flict in Council, 475, creditor of government, 478, 
179, services of, and vi-it to English Court , 480, vase 
given to, U\ Qucn Anne, 4S3, 493, 509, acting gov- 
ernor of New York, 510, 514, 518, son of, 598, 606. 

Schuyler, Adonijah, 5*2, jurv man in negro trial 1 1741 ). 

Schuyler, Arent, 154, 420, daughter of. married De 
Peyster,67o, 071, New. Jersey estate of, 672, descend- 
dants of. 

Schuyler, Brandt, 397, alderman, wife of, &c , 410, 
assemblyman, 444, 619, counselor. 

Schuyler, Colonel John, 154. 381, led expedition to 
Canada, 432, agent among Indians, 600, John, son of, 
married Cornelia van Cortlandt, and were parents 
of General Philip Sehuvler of Revolution. 

Schuyler, Colonel Peter (Ron of Arent), 670, 671, 672, 
portrait of. 

Schuyler, George L. , 480, in possession of Schuyler 

S< hnvier, Myndert, 509, 536, 568; assemblvman, 612, 

014. 640 
Schuyler, Philip Ptetersen, ancestor of family, 153, 

Scott, John, 195, 204, bearer of royal letters, 207. 
Si'.ct, John Morin, celebrated politician, 691, 718, 751, 
766, 707, John Adams' description of. 



Belyne, Dominie llenricus, 190, arrived, 191, married, 

249, 29S. returned, ,'M1, parsonage of, ;,"_'- unites ol 

affairs, 354. iX; ;|SS V( . n , ,,, ;;.)■_» ;;.,;; )( J ,.„_ 

gr.ved baptiMual basin, 422, 4 in, death of. 
Sewall, Samuel, 37U 

Sharp, Dr. I Ire ibishop of York i. 458. 

sharp, Governor (of Maryland , 6 ■■• 

Sharp, Jol 258 

Sharpas, William, 422 (note), one of first wardens ol 

Trinity. Church, 496, clerk in chancery, 56 i 
Sharp,-, Rev John, B 
Sharpe, Richard, 740, one ol founders ol Chamber of 

<■ ivcrnor (ol Ma--,. I 

613, 619, 021, 020, r.'jo, oi\ out, ,.,2, i,;,.;, , . 

recalled 
-i in. v , Algernon, 236, 298, 306, executed. 
Simpson, Sampson, 740, one of founders of Chamber 

of Commerce. 
Sinclair, Sir John, 613, 65 I 
Skinner, Cortlandt, 0"l. duo, daughter of, 706, family 

of. 
Skinner, Rev. William, 606 (note) ; family of. 
Skinner, William, 606, married daughter nt Sir Peter 

Warren. 
Sloughter, Governor Henrv. 309, appointed, : 

384,385, 387, took possession i I fo 

signed death-warrant of I .. i- e ; . 0'0, death of 

Sluy ter, Peter (Labadi-t), 2*0.2^. 2*9 

Smeeuian, Herman, 200, delegate to the L/indtdag. 

Smith, Captain John, 28, 42. 

Smith, Colonel William (governor of Tangier I. - ■ 
appointed counselor, 388, judge in admiralty, 390, 
408, chief justice, daughter of, 415, counselor, 430, 
437, estate of, 445,448, 449, conflict in Com 
465, restored to honor and offices, 405, death of, at 

Smith, William. 482,548, 549,550,557,564 (note,, re- 
corder, 505. 507, 50S. description of. as an orator. 57-'.. 
674, eloquence ot, Olio pall-hearer to t iovernor Morris, 

010, i;20. iys, 04n. 017, trustee of Soeiet\ Library. 

691. 
Smith, William (son of above), 715, 717, 725, 73", 750, 

counselor. 
Smits, Claes, 97,98. 
Spain, 19, discoveries, 20, 22, war upon England, 48, 

war with Holland, 51, commerce threatened. 172, 

240, alliance, 20,4, 200, p.. :i . ,- 
Sparks, Governor (of Barbadoes), 601, daughter of, 602 

(note). 
Spotr-\\..o.|, < iovernor (of Virginia), 520. 
Spragg, John, 301, secretary. 302, clerk to assembly. 

323, 1 ounselor under Audros. 
Staats, Captain Jochim, 364, commandant of force, 

335, 375, wife of (note). 
Staats, Dr. Samuel, 434, counselor to Bellomont. 440, 

442, 44s. 140, 451. 460, suspended from Council by 

Cornburv, 4S3, counselor under Hunter, 500, death 

of, 576, daughter of 
Stealman, John, 227, delegate to Convention 1665 
SteenhiHM'11, Knglebert, 2o0, delegare to hindtdag. 

Steendam, Jacob, 247. first poet, portrait of. 

Steenwyck, Coroe|i s 2'i0, delegate to LnndtdaZj 207, 
ma -11 .te 21."., 22o, 225, appointed burgomaster 
in,: . bu.Oi-h. 234, portrait of, 242, mayoi 21 
hou f 255,260,269,274,308. 

Sfe\i 11-, .luhn. ■■''■'■. marriage of, 729. 

St.' ven-, .0.1 1 11, 711 . graduate. ), 757, house of 

Stevensen, Coert, 2>o delegate to Land 
Stockton, Richard, 012 (note), signer of Declaration of 
indepeodence. 

Stockton, Richard, son of above, 042. 

Stockton, Richard Field, grandson of the signer, 642 

Stoffelsen, Jacob, 99, member of firs! represi 

body, 115 
Stol, Jacob Jansen, 186. 
Stoll, Serjeant Joost, 348, led revolutionists to Oat 

(lOV.t,, :r,5, :W*K ensign, sent to Whitehall, 39". 

,. „ i„ .] I^oin Ion, :J7!» returned ->o .;-; 
Stoughton, William, 323, judge under Andros. 

S tough ton, Willi am, 379. delegate from Ma-- :>■ 

Street- of New York, 179 [note), 401, origin Of Water 

Street, 402, ;V53. 539, 033, 7.53, 757- 

Strickland, John, 202. 

Strycker, Jan. 206, delegate to Landtdag 



m 



IXDEX. 



Stryker, John, 174, to superintend erection of church. 

.stu'yv. -;mt, Balthazar, 181,216. 

Stuyvesant, (ierardus, 5(54, alderman (1735), 607, jufl- 
lir«* of tile peace. 

SI n> v.s:mt, Governor Peter, 126, appointed, 1-7, 
portrait of, 128, personal description of, 129, wife 
..f. 138, situation, 134, Sabbath laws, 146, diffi- 
culties with the "Nine Men," 150, criticised, 172, 
visited Gravesend, 175, returned from West in- 
dies, 1*1, real estate, IS.',, i>u akcrs persecuted, 1*7, 
quieting Indians, 188, " Bouwery," 200, in city, 
202, in Connecticut, 207, at Indian Conference, 210, 
surrender of city demanded, 211. di-tress of. 213, 
terms agreed upon, 214, mortified and humiliated, 
21-1, private lit'-, 222. took oath of allegiance to 
Charles II., 22-;. assessed to provide for English 
soldiers, 249, elder of church. 

Stay vesant, Nicholas William, 162, 181,210,344, 350, 
3". I. '>'> t. house searched. 

Swart, Mr. and Mr- , 286 

Swinton, Isaac, 315, clerk in chancery (1685), 318, 
recorder in Albany, 

Sylvester, Constant, 23S ; owner of Shelter Island, 239, 
Sylvester, Nathaniel, 238. 



I'm ::..i. Captais Mark, 301. 

Talmage, Lieutenant Euos, 3:55. 

Tempi. -. Sir William, 245. Minister at the Hague, 246, 
'I'M, MHiniioiLi d from his retirement, 492. 

fen |JriH'i-k, Dink Van Wessels, 480, magistrate. 

T.-iiiii-, (itn.-l.i-rt, 327. delegate to Convention (1665). 

'I'erneui , Daniel, 2lHj, delegate to the Landtdag. 

Tcunisseii, Guisbert, 206, delegate to the Landtdag. 

Tew, Captain, 423. pirate. 

Thomas, Captain Jelmer, 127. 

Thomas, John, 620, 623, 636. 

Thompson , (i.ibriel , 505 (note), heirs of, 581. 

Throgmorton, John, 104, 114. 

Tienhoven, Cornells Van, 93, 93, secretary, 110, 134, 
135, 144, 145, 152, arrested in Amsterdam, 156. ap- 
pointed sheriff, 178, absconded, 287, second wife of. 

Tilton, John, 199, Quaker. 

Toilet, George, 439. 

Topping, Thomas, 220, counselor under Nicolls, 227, 
delegate to the Hempstead Conveutiou. 

Townsend, Henry, 199, Quaker, 

Townshend, in Parliament, 715, 716, 737, 738. 

Treat, Hon. Robert (governor of Connecticut ), 199, 300, 
324,325,343,365,375. 

Trien, Uatelina, 56 (note). 

Trvon, Sir William (governor), 755, appointed, 756, 
n-Mdenee of, 758, 760, 703, sailed for England. 



U. 

(TsDERHttL, Captain John, 89,115,117, 118, 164,206, 

227, delegate to the Hempstead Convention, 229. 

Ury, Rev. John (Catholic priest), 583, trial and execu- 
tion of, 584- 

Usselipcx, William, 23, 24, 45. 



Van Rrku::n, Aniuw, 108, ancestor of Van der Donck 

Van lirugge, Carel, 150. secretary of provim e 

Van Itrugli, Johannes, 22m, schepen, 222, 225, 226, 

property assessed, 230, alderman, 260, burgomaster, 

269, 271,357, wife of. 
Van Off, Jan, 2H6, dele-ate to Lnn>Hda<*. 
Van Corlear, Areii.lt, eouuni-sarv, 'OS, 124. 

Van Corlear, Jacob, 78, 1 12. 

Van Cortlandt, Augustus, O'lT, family of. 
Van Cortlandt, Frelerick, 607. house of, f.imiU Df,757. 
Van Cortlandt, Hon. Stephanus 277, mavor, 27* , 
description Of, and Wife of, 283, judge, 299, 301, 

counselor, 396,3111, ;;io, managing revetn.e. ;:-::. :;-",, 
328,342. age and polities, 343, 344,348. in ,■ ,,, :;,n, 
353 one of the deputies entrusted with frovprn- 
ment, 351, 355, 256, 358, 331, 317. wife of, 371, 



struggle for power, 374, house broken into, wife 
abused, 384, appointed counselor by the king, 3SS 
390, judge, 403, 409, 415,421, son of, 431, searcher 
of customs, 43'.), estate under eoinleiniiation, 410, 
death of, widow of, 451, suits defended by widow of, 
606, descendants of 

Van Cortlandt, Jacobus, 409, assemblvman, 416, 420, 
daughter of, 435, 444. merchant, 405, 489, mayor, 
559, daughter killed, 002, wile of, 0,00, descendant 
of. 

Van Cortlandt. Philip, 421, manager of, 536, coun- 
selor, 561, 568, 606, descendants of. 

Pan Cortlandt, Pierre (lieutenant-governor), 421, 606, 



Van Cortlandt. Oloff Stevensen. 01, daughter r.f. 90. 
antecedents of, 138, wife of, 143 coat of arms of, 100 
schepen, 2<i3, burgomaster, 204, 211, 213, repre- 
sented city at surrender. 222, 225, 220. property 
assessed, 230, alderman, 245, sent ship to Holland, 
249, elder of church, 200, 277. son of, 310, 374. 
granddaughter of, 601, daughter of (note), 606 
(note), descendants of. 

Van Couwenhoven, Jacob, 136, one of " Nine Men,'' 
138, wife of, 145, 148, brewer. 

Van Couwenhoven, Pieter, 148, 161, schepen, 200. 

Van Dam, Rip, 435, assemblyman, 444, 456, 460, coun- 
selor to Cornbury, 483, counselor to Hunter, stand- 
ing of 484 (note), family of, 496, master in chan- 
cery, 521. 524, church dedicated to, 536, acting 
governor (note), 537. 538, contention with Cosby, 
540, suits, 546, portrait of, 547. portrait of wife of, 
560, 561, 562 563, 564, strife with Clarke for the 
government of province, 565, 578. 

Van Dincklagcn, Lubberlus, 76. arrival of, 80, 120, 
127, vice-director, 134, 135, 143, 149, 150, 152, ex- 
pelled from Council. 

Van Dvek, Ensign, 101, 127. fiscal, 134. 151, 152, 176. 

Van der Capellen, Baron, 140.151, 189, 190. death of 

Van der Donck, Adrian, 108, arrival of, 122, loaned 
money to Kieft, 124, marriage of, 143, sccretari , 
145, i47, origin of the name of Yonkers, 150, 152, 
158, sailed for Europe 165. returned 

Van der Grist, Paulus, 134, 135, 161, schepen, 177, 207, 
magistrate, 226, property assessed, 249, elder in 
church. 

Van tier lluvgens, Cornells, 90. sheriff- 
Van der Horst. Myndert Myndcrt-en, 96, 115. house 
attacked and burnt. 

Vanderbeck, Conradus. 310,inviier to funerals. 

Vaiidervccn. Pieter Cornelisen, 181, merchant. 

Van Fees, Anthony, 107. buys first city-lots. 

Van Caasbeeck, Dominie I of Esopus), 289. 

Van Gherl, Maximilian, 141. schepen. 

Van Gogh, Dutch minister to England, 132. 

Van Hardeuburg, Amoldus, 136, one of " Nine Men,' 1 
144. 

Van Hattan, Arent, 61. burgomaster. 

Van Hoboken. llarinei:, 1*1, teacher. 

Van Home, Abraham. 513, counselor, 536. 

Van Home, Cornells, 504, 573. assemblyman, 574, 620. 

Van Home, David, 582. 

Van Home, Gerrit, 573. 

Van Imbroeck, Dr., 83, 200, wife of, 206, delegate to 
Landtdag. 

Van Nieuwenhuvsen, Dominie Wilhemus, 249, arrival 
of, 284, 289, 298, death of. 

Van Olfendam, Arien Jan Ben, 123, teacher. 

Vim Ucinund, .Ian, 64, secretary of province. 

Van Rensselaer, Jean Baptist, 153. 156 

Van Rensselaer, Kiliaen,49, director tit West India Com- 
pany, 60, 61. family of, 62, manor-house of, 65,108, 
125, death of, family arms of. 

Van Rensselaer, Jeremias (son of above), 61, family of, 
140, family arms of, 201, 205, portrait of, 200. 
president of Landf-daz, 222 239, 394, 435, asscmbh - 
man. 439 estate under condemnation. 

Van Rensselaer, Rev. Nicolaus, 61, 269 (note), 285,318, 

Van Rensselaer Kiiinen, 483, counselor, 568, assem- 
blvman, 636. 67S 

Van Ruvven, Cornells, 166, secretary of province, 203, 
204,208, 220. 222, 226, property assessed, '.30, 242, 
alderman, 252, counselor, 261, 262, sailed for Hol- 
land. 

Van Steenwyck, Abraham, 107. 



LVD EX. 



\ an Schaick, Ge 
370. 



i (alderman of Ubanj |, 331, 363, 



i Schaick, Peter, 741, graduated from college 
Van SSchelluync Dirck, 117, early lawyer, 152, 1 58 
174, 206 

, htenliorst, I'.raudt, 125,140,162 153, laugb 
I 154, 155, 158. 

V ,n Slcchtenhurst, ilerrit J /,nr/o/ag, 

\:i!i Slyck, Cornells Antonissen, 125 

enhuysen, Lambrecht, 38, navigator. 

' ii,.r,'\Vout.T governor . 
arrival louse, ,-. 126. 

\ in V,,rst. Garret Jansen, 109. 
\ ui V7ely, Johannes, 125 

Van Wer'cklu.ven, II. »i I'-rnrli,, 169, 1 10 

Van Wyck. Thco.lnru-, .;;::, alderman (175m, [n,,(e . 

* ui7.aii.lt. Winant..5M.5s2, juryman iu uegro trial. 

\ ariek, lloniinie. 3-2 

Varlett, Hon. Nicholas, 213, represented province in 
surrender of New Yoi k to English 

\ L'lliCC, 111 fifteen I 

,,;. delcgito to Landidag. 
Ncrbelh, Nicholas. 1-2 
Verbeth, Judith, 182 

Yerplanck, Daniel Crommelin, 686, marriage of, (note). 
Yerpl link, Abraham. 1-1, 269, 287, wife of. 
Yerplanck, (Julian, 1-1. 260 family of 
Yerplanck, tiulian, 56s, assemblyman, 712. 

Yerplanck, (.Julian, 741, graduate from the college 
\ erplanck, Isaac, 1-1 

Yerplanck. Philip, 678, assemblyman, 711. 
V, r.tius, William, 174, teacher, 1-1. 
Yerveeler, Johannes, 'Jul, . I . ■ 1 , - _r i r , ■ r . . r,,„ /r,/og. 
Vcrrazano (Italian naviuMtn:.. i;, in 
\ >■-••>■, Key. William, 4,17, portrait i>f, 43s, collision 
ivernor, 445, 452,4"'". 1 11', 572, 5iS, widow of. 
• unuel (governor of Nova Scotia), 455, wife of, 

\ igne, Jean, 286, first male chill bom in Now York of 

European parents. 2*-7. 
v i ckersten, Dirck, 287, wife of. 



Wilker, Z.vcmm an. 202, signer of petition. 

, 28 ;, 2-7 121, n.i. 505, 760 
Wallace, Alexander, 683, merchant, 739, family of, 

757. 
Wallace, Hush, 6S3, merchant, 739, vice-president of 
Chamber of Commerce, family nf, "43, 750, counselor 
tctice of, 
Walley, John (Plymouth), 379, delegate to Leisler's 

■ Pro test mt , 4- 

Ualtcr, Johu, H71. ,1 .lighter of. 

Walters, Robert, 3 10, allermau, 379, 3-3, about mar- 
riage of, 4K 431. m-olur. 43',, 442, 449, 451, 457, 

a--,,ciate judge. 400, 483, 517, mayor, 521, 608. 

Walton, Jacob, 684, wife of. 

Walton, Jacob, Jr., 685, wife of, 738, assemblyman, 
742. 

Walton, William, 636, assemblyman, ('47, trustee of 
Society Library, 654, 660, 678, counselor, 683, wealth 
of, H84, mansion of, 685, character of. 759. wife of. 

Walton, William (nephew of former), 684, family of, 
685, character of, 686 (note), children of, 730, coun- 
selor, 740, one of the founders of Chamber of C - 

merce. 

Wantenear, Albert Comelis, 206, delegate to Landtdag. 

o'ardsworth, Joseph (Connecticut), 324, hid charter in 
" Charter Oak.'' 

Warren, Admiral Sir Peter, 580, marriage. .f. 681, '-!. 

esjeape of, 588, mansion of, 593, naval movel rsof, 

594, achievements of, 595. knighted b. king, 613, 
624, member of Parliament (note), 629, 033 unto), 
n-7 wife of. 

Warwick, Earl of, 74,76. 

H asbington, George, 647, 680, 677, 678. love affair „r 

Watson, John (first portrait-painter in America), 516, 
description of, 517. 

Watts, Kohert, 500. counselor, 501. f.nuil-, of (about 
estate in note), 568,582,654, son of 

H i---, U in John (son of above), 501, birfi of, " 12, 



fiunllj ol m an, 647, 

tru-tce of Society Library. 1,51, houil 

daughter nil i 

710,712,714.717.721,7.1 

-i.iii. 1, 
Watts, lion John (the wronger), 420, daughter of 

, 2 !,.,,.. i . .;. ,.,ti reorder 

'■', ,"■. lb, I ,'rl Ibri.iber ,.| ,'■ ,. i .laugh- 

ter of Lor I Stirling. 
Weaver, Thoma 

41-. 150, 1 .1 , ollei tor ol cu toms, 451 157. 460 

at,-, ded 

Webb, lleuer.il, 673 6-1, ivgim, lit ,.| 

Weber, Wolfert, 182. 

■•■■ -. l.-mu. ;. ,;,,! i gin I-lillipse manor-bouse 

|| HI un i-„, ral ,,l \o» York in 

LB84 
Wells. Samuel, ,;l I, delegate I ngress 1754 

Wells, Wi i, »Ji, eoim-elor. 2.7. ■!.■, II, mj, 

-tea,! Convention. 22*. lir-t hlgli-slici id ,.t lain' 

Island. 
Wendall, Alderman , Moan* 1,331, 3 2 



warden ,,t Tnni > I liur, ),, 

outlawed, I'll , rel urm I an 

entworth, Gove r ol Ne 

700 






Wessels, Dirck (citv recorder at Albanj 331,354 II 
assemblyman, 451. 

West India t'nui|,.uiv, origin. 21. 25. 45,46, lio 

eled. it- ex istc me a tix-.l tact 1 , , it- earl, hi- una .4- 

ambitious j,i,.j, ,-t- and talk of i,.,l,, 

erl.uil. 51 . 53, buy Manhattan Island. 59, brilliant 
, , -ton. 
We.', .1, ,':•,, 'J- I ni.i.i ,,|. ■_',; 3 1. marling., ot. 32). 

i i,l. 339. 

White, Henri, 75 1 757, witcnl. re-idencei f 7 ' 
Whiteinan, Mr . 1 '1 regi-ter in chancer} 
Whittlesey, Rev. Mr , 643. 
Whitfield, II, . •■ 
Wiley, William, 726, of Committee of Correspondence 



(1765) 




Willett, Edward, 1 


-17. house of 


Will, ■!'. 1 


149 1 - 1 - ■ 2 


238, sent to . 1 


,-. : , ,| idiai 



Williams, I a,, - 3",-. ,,1 Cm, mitt 1 Sitcv under 

Leisler, 371, counselor 
■ Sir Hugh. 21 
Willvs. Samuel .governor .21". 213 276. amba-ad, ,. • 

\, , 

Wilson, \1, >,aii, l,r, 397, alderman. 

Wilson. Kbenezer. 422. warden of Trinity Church. 

Windobankc, Sir Francis, 65. 

Winder, John, 270. 

Winder. Samuel, 298 

Winslow. .) ,hn, 340 bron ;h( tie ■. - ol Ki ( 

Boston 
Winthrnp, Governor ,,,1 Ma-sachu-ctt« , 71. 76, 3s 

Winthrop, Governor John (of Connecticul I, 7 I, arrival 
of, 194, 202, 2,3. 2',|. 213. 223. boundary ,| tion, 

239, grant for Fisher's 1- I , n, 

411, sent to KnglmuL 
Winthrop, Fitz John (son of abovi 210 223 
Wissinctt , Jaci 

Withers),,,,, , , I;. , Di John, 751, 752 characl 
anee-try of. 

\\ .: ., . ,1 , f \\ ,-t India r, an j,,|i,. 

Wool, .b, Ha-, 227, delegate 0- I l,-iii[,-tead < 'on , enf ion 
, 16.15 . 22" I. jn-'i f the ■■ 

W,,,„it,,irt, , .6, in , great-grandfather of II,, race , , 



506 

li | ,). H74, 0SII, eros-iog St I/ivvronco. 

a-auh 682 death of, 715, frii nd ol 

Woiler.-len. (iernl, 214, 01 I '■ Fight Men." 

\\ olco ,, Governor Itoger (of Connecti 

of (note), 

\ardens 



681, 



786 



INDEX. 



Worttiington, John, ''-41'. delegate froni Massachusetts 

til t'lillL'H . G ! 

Wynnington, Thomas, 268, attorney-general. 
Wyoming, i"«<, about settlement of, 702. 



Yonkers, 89, land bought of Indians, 147. 

younge, John, '--", delegate to Hempstead ConTentit 



lit)''.:.). S'.'t'i, high-sheriff of Long Island, Sit',, 323 
counselor under Andros, 343, 888. 



Zenc.f.r, John IV.Ttn, 54S, started pa]«r, 540, arrested 
and imprisoned, Mil. 6511, 557, acquitted, 502. free- 
dom of tile press, 5f,:i, 6l',5, 034, 709. 

Zinzendorf, Count, 753. 



END OF VOL. I. 



STORY 



THE GREAT METROPOLIS. 




HE HlSJOf^Y 0|= THE ClTY 0[= New YoF^I 

By Mrs. MARTHA J. LAMB. 



This work has been long anticipated with much interest. Its preparation has occupied a period of over ten y( 
In scope it is a complete literary picture of the rise and progress of our great American metropolis. It is commer 
by scholars to all classes of readers as " a piece of choice tapestry that will hold its color and retain its intrinsic w 
amid the living literature of the nineteenth century, when many of the popular books of to-day shall long ago have 1 
dead." 

The well-known reputation of Mrs. LAMB for accuracy in historical detail, as well as literary skill in wea- 
together and condensing facts, added to fine perceptions and a graceful and felicitous charm of expression giving vit; 
and sparkle to every pictured thought, is a guarantee that this valuable work will be even more than it promises, 
it cannot tail to take deservedly high rank among standard authorities. 

In the beginning of the volume Mrs. LAMB sketches, in outline, the condition of the Old World prior to 
settlement of the New, and then proceeds to give a careful analysis of the two great Commercial Corporations which n 
such a noise all over Christendom about that time, and to which New York owes its origin. Her gifted pen removes n 
of the dimness and dullness with which the early settlement on Manhattan Island has hitherto been obscured ; 
the narrative widens in interest as the little colony advances. Indian wars, the birth of the city, its various rulers 
subjugation by the English, its after vicissitudes, the Revolution of 1689 — with its causes and effects — political dist 
ances and the continuous chain of events which culminated in the American Revolution, are all deftly woven in 
connected story as fresh and readable as a work of fiction. From the Declaration of Independence, in 1776, the au 
gathers up the threads, and gives an accurate, artistic, and comprehensive account of the City, in its successive ph 
of development during the century, to its present prominence at the time of the celebration of the first national b 
dav. Prominent persons are introduced in all the decades, with choice bits of family history and glimpses of social 
♦ Mrs. LAMB is a member of the New York Historical Society, to whose unrivalled archives she has had u 
strained access. Many of the old families of the City have freely furnished information specially interesting to 
present generation, since it throws into the New History the charms of revelation. The book will contain maps of 
City in the different periods, and several rare portraits from original paintings which have never before been engra 
The illustrations are by leading artists and are all of an interesting character. 



Notice to Subscribe rjs . 

Every Subscriber to The History of New York City is expected to take the whole number of " Parts ' 
complete the work. Subscribers changing their residence should immediately notify the Publishers, or their A| 
who received the order, and give NEW ADDRESS IN FULL. Payment for the Parts should only be madt 
delivery, NEVER IN ADVANCE. 

A strict observance of these suggestions will save Subscribers annoyance and loss, and enable the Publis! 
to fill their orders in a prompt and advantageous manner. 

A. S. BARNES & CO.f Publishers, 111 and 113 William St., N. 

GENERAL AGENCIES: 
CHICAGO, BOSTON, PHILADELPHIA, WASHINGTON, AND NEW ORLEANS. 



PART 16.J 



[Price 50 cents, 




NEW YORK, and CHICAGO 



Copyright, 1876, A. S. Bajnks & Co. 
SOLID OISTLY BY SUBSCRIPTION. 




lb & 



STORY 



GREAT METROPOLIS. 




HE HlSJOF^Y 0[=THE ClTY Of New Yoi 

By Mrs. MARTHA J. LAMB. 



This work has been long anticipated with much interest. Its preparation has occupied a period of over ter 
In scope it is a complete literary picture of the rise and progress of our great American metropolis. It is comi 
by scholars to all classes of readers as "a piece of choice tapestry that will hold its color and retain its intrinsi 
amid the living literature of the nineteenth century, when many of the popular books of to-day shall long ago ha\ 
dead." 

The well-known reputation of Mrs. ^AMB for accuracy in historical detail, as well as literary skill in v 
together and condensing facts, added to fine perceptions and a graceful and felicitous charm of expression giving 
and sparkle to every pictured thought, is a guarantee that this valuable work will be even more than it promis 
it cannot fail to take deservedly high rank among standard authorities. 

In the beginning of the volume Mrs. LAMB sketches, in outline, the condition of the Old World prior 
settlement of the New, and then proceeds to give a careful analysis of the two great Commercial Corporations whicl 
such a noise all over Christendom about that time, and to which New York owes its origin. Her gifted pen remove 
of the dimness and dullness with which the early settlement on Manhattan Island has hitherto been obscurec 
the narrative widens in interest as the little colony advances. Indian wars, the birth of the city, its various rul 
subjugation by the English, its after vicissitudes, the Revolution of 1689— with its causes and effects — political d 
ances and the continuous chain of events which culminated in the American Revolution, are all deftly woven 
connected story as fresh and readable as a work of fiction. From the Declaration of Independence, in 1776, the 
gathers up the threads, and gives an accurate, artistic, and comprehensive account of the City, in its successive 
of development during the century, to its present prominence at the time of the celebration of the first national 
day. Prominent persons arc introduced in all the decades, with choice bits of family history and glimpses of soci 

Mrs. LAMB is a member of the New York Historical Society, to whose unrivalled archives she has hac 
strained access. Many of the old families of the City have freely furnished information specially interesting 
present generation, since it throws into the New History the charms of revelation. The book will contain maps 
City in the different periods, and several rare portraits from original paintings which have never before been eng 
The illustrations are by leading artists and are all of an interesting character. 



Notice to Subscribe r^s . 

Every Subscriber to The History of New York City is expected to take the whole number of " Pari 
complete the work. Subscribers changing their residence should immediately notify the Publishers, or their 
who received the order, and give NEW ADDRESS IN FULL. Payment for the Parts should only be nw 
delivery, NEVER IN ADVANCE. 

A strict observance of these suggestions will save Subscribers annoyance and loss, and enable the Pub. 
to fill their orders in a prompt and advantageous manner. 

A. S. BARNES & CO., Publishers, 111 and 113 William St., N 

GENERAL AGENCIES: 
RBAp*25 CHICAGO, BOSTON, PHILADELPHIA, WASHINGTON, AND NEW ORLEANS. 



